Sunday, June 03, 2007

Royal tomb still waiting to be discovered

http://tinyurl.com/3x7z24 (naukawpolsce.pap.pl)
Thanks to the EEF News Digest for the following story: "Last year, a team of Polish archaeologists from the Mediterranean Archaeology Department at the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN), lead by Prof.Karol Myśliwiec, discovered a rock ramp, near Pharoah Djoser’s Pyramid in Saqqara, south of Cairo, which turned out to be a false entrance to the tomb built to fool thieves.
Prof. Myśliwiec has no doubt that a tomb of a very important personage (dating back to 2650-2900 BC) is hidden somewhere on the site. Building false entrances was common practice, while the monumental proportions of the entrance and ramp as well as the fact that even 300 years later it served as a place for holding offerings indicates the importance of the person in question. The fact that a platform built of dried brick, presumably erected by one of the sons of Ramses II on the site, is further confirmation of the importance of the person.
In the coming digs, Prof. Mysliwiec not only wants to continue searching for the real entrance to the tomb, but also wants to explore countless grave-shafts discovered during this year’s digs. With his team, he plans to explore two shafts found inside the tomb of Ni-anch-Nefertum, the priest at the pyramids of Unis and Teti. They most probably belonged to his wife and eldest son. Moreover, as their original floors are intact, it appears they were never subject to theft – a unique find in itself."

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