Episode 34: Egyptian Sarcophagus Opened Before Media
Il-wey! Since March of this year, a French-led team of archaeologists have been excavating at the El-Asasef necropolis, located on the western bank of the Nile, between Valley of the Queens and the Valley of the Kings. The burial site was reserved for nobles and senior officials to the pharaohs. Earlier this month, the team found a nearly 4,000-year-old tomb containing two sarcophagi.
It took the team five months to clear 300 meters of rubble and they were rewarded for their efforts. The tomb’s owner, Thaw-Irkhet-If, was a priest who supervised the embalming process of pharaohs at the Temple of Mut in Karnak, at the Karnak Temple complex. The tomb included approximately 1,000 wood and clay Ushabti funerary statues that were symbolic of servants for the afterlife. There were also skeletons and mummies found in the tomb dating back to the Middle Kingdom period (4,000 years old). Additionally, the tomb included exquisite painted ceilings containing familiar symbols of ancient Egypt: winged scarabs, Eye of Horus, and images of Thoth.
Earlier this month, archaeologists privately opened Thaw-Irkhet-If’s sarcophagus, but last Saturday, they publicly opened the sarcophagus revealing a well-preserved mummified woman, who they tentatively believed to be named Thuya. The sarcophagi represent two distinct styles and dynasties: one is in the rishi-style, or feather motif, of the 17th Dynasty, while the other sarcophagus is representative of the 18th Dynasty.
While there have been many discoveries made in Egypt this year, however the opening of Thuya’s sarcophagus has garnered a lot of attention because it was opened before an international media group. Many of the articles I read speculated this was a move to rejuvenate tourism in Egypt that declined after the 2011 uprising. Visiting Egypt many years ago was a life changing experience: not only was it the first time I had traveled outside of the U.S. where I could experience a different culture, but I was able to see many places that I had read about for years in the various books we had in the house. No amount of books and online searches can replace first-hand experiences.
I'm looking forward to hearing more about this discovery. There is sure to be additional information announced in the days to come regarding both Thuya and Thaw-Irkhut-If.
Senebti!
Images from Google search.
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