Archaeologists have discovered eight mummies in a 3,500-year-old tomb at the Draa Abul Nagaa necropolis close to Luxor and the Valley of the Kings. Additionally, the team has also unearthed 10 sarcophagi and hundreds of figurines in what seemed to be a tomb of an Egyptian nobleman and judge named Userhat.
Userhat worked during the New Kingdom era around 1,500 to 1000 B.C. His tomb was opened during the 21st Dynasty to accommodate more coffins and protect them from robbery, reported The Telegraph. Head of the archaeological mission, Mostafa Waziri, said that they uncovered another hall with effigies of Egyptian kings from different dynasties.
CNN News reported Waziri as saying that the diggings were done consistently "to reveal the secrets of these two tombs." About 450 cubic meters of old slabs were removed to which the team has found the main tomb and two other adjoining ones—a T-shaped tomb, which is common among the noble classes.
The inner chamber of the crypt was found to have 10 more sarcophagi in good condition and eight mummies. Ushabti funerary figurines made of wood and terra cotta, as well as clay pots, were also discovered in the tomb to serve as servants for the deceased in the afterlife. A handle of a sarcophagus lid and wooden masks were unearthed in the same room.
Waziri and his team aim to recover and restore the coffins and the rest of the tomb so that they can move the artifacts and explore more of the chamber. The archaeologists said that the mummies died of a disease and they are working on finding out which type it is.
Egypt had plenty of discoveries recently. In November, archaeologists unearthed an ancient city which is believed to be a high-placed society thousands of years ago. Moreover, they discovered Pharaoh Ramses II's 3000-Year-Old Statue in Cairo which is considered as the largest find of 2017 in March. Not to mention, a bent pyramid of King Sneferu was seen only earlier this month.
