Ancient Tomb With Pyramid Entrance
Found in Egypt
A tomb newly excavated at an ancient cemetery in Egypt would have
boasted a pyramid 7 meters (23 feet) high at its entrance,
archaeologists say.
The tomb, found at the site of Abydos, dates back around 3,300
years. Within one of its vaulted burial chambers, a team of
archaeologists found a finely crafted sandstone sarcophagus, painted
red, which was created for a scribe named Horemheb.
The sarcophagus has images of several Egyptian gods on it and
hieroglyphic inscriptions recording spells from the Book of the Dead
that helped one enter the afterlife.
KEVIN CAHAIL
Dating back around 3,300 years, this tomb was discovered recently at
an ancient cemetery at Abydos in Egypt. At left is a rectangular
entrance shaft with massive walls that served as the base for a
pyramid thought to have risen 23 feet (7 meters) in height.
There is no mummy in the sarcophagus, and the tomb was ransacked
at least twice in antiquity. Human remains survived the ransacking,
however. Archaeologists found disarticulated skeletal remains from
three to four men, 10 to 12 women and at least two children in the
tomb. [Gallery: See Images of the Newly Found Tomb]
The chambers that the archaeologists uncovered would have
originally resided beneath the surface, leaving only the steepsided pyramid visible.
The pyramid itself "probably would have had a small mortuary chapel
inside of it that may have held a statue or a stela giving the names
and titles of the individuals buried underneath," the University of
Pennsylvania's Kevin Cahail, who led excavations at the tomb, told
Live Science.
KEVIN CAHAIL
In one of the burial chambers, archaeologists found a sandstone
sarcophagus, painted red, which was created for a "scribe" named
Horemheb.
Today, all that remains of the pyramid are the thick walls of the tomb
entrance that would have formed the base of the pyramid. The other
parts of the pyramid either haven't survived or have not yet been
found. [Image Gallery: Amazing Egyptian Discoveries]
It was not uncommon at that time for tombs of elite individuals to
contain small pyramids, Cahail said. He believes Horemheb's family
had military ties that allowed them to afford such an elaborate tomb.
Cahail will be presenting results from last year's excavations in
Portland, Ore., this weekend at the annual meeting of the American
Research Center in Egypt.
Tombs Discovered in Egypt
Ancient mummies--some more than 4,700 years old--have been unearthed in Egypt
MAY 24, 2010
By Jonathan Rosenbloom
Print
Archaeologists have discovered 45 ancient Egyptian tombs in Lahoun, Egypt. The site is about 70 miles
south of Cairo, Egypt's capital. Most of the tombs hold a decorated painted wooden sarcophagus, or coffin.
Each one contains a mummy. In one tomb, 12 coffins from around 1500 B.C. were found stacked on top of
one another, so the actual number of mummies comes to 57. Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities
announced the discovery on Sunday. The group oversees Egypt's artifacts as well as archaeologists
searching for treasures in the North African nation.
The oldest tombs that were unearthed date back to around 2750 B.C. The discovery will give scientists more
information about Egypt's ancient religions, the council said.
Mummy's the Word
Egypt's archaeology chief, Zahi Hawass, said many of the mummies are wrapped in linen that shows
drawings of ancient Egyptian gods. The linen is also decorated with texts from the Book of the Dead. The
book contains instructions and information that ancient Egyptians thought would help dead people deal with
obstacles that they would come across in the afterlife.
Abdel Rahman El-Aydi is the head of the archaeological team that made the discovery. He said some of the
tombs are decorated with religious texts. The ancient Egyptians believed these texts, like the Book of the
Dead, would help the dead person to cross through the underworld.
El-Aydi said one of the oldest tombs is almost completely intact and hasn't been touched since it was sealed
thousands of years ago. It contains urns and containers, as well as a wooden sarcophagus containing a
mummy wrapped in linen.
The recent discovery of the 45 tombs isn't the first in Lahoun. Last year, some 53 stone tombs dating back to
various ancient periods were found in the same area.
Becky Starosta
Current events: Early People
Reflection:
These articles stem from Egypt in reference to recent discoveries from tombs and
pyramids. The adult article comes from NBC News, and it is more recent and
relevant (March 31st, 2014). The kids article comes from Time for Kids and the
information pertains to the adult article however it is from 2010. The sources are
both very credible when it comes to relaying unbiased news. The adult source is
very vague in the information provided. This could be due to the relatively new
developments with the excavation. However the kids source, from Time for Kids, is
very thorough. This is most likely due to the fact that there are a lot of content
specific vocabulary words in the article (sarcophagus, book of the dead, etc.). The
fourth graders who this unit is prepared for could most likely be able to interpret
the adult and the student resource almost equally; the teacher would just have to
provide some scaffolding for the adult article. The student article seems to contain
more specific content while also relating to other topics in Egypt. The student article
also has a strong focus and detail. The adult article gives a general overview on the
newly excavated sarcophagus but only that specific site. These articles relate to the
lesson about early people because archaeologists are still finding information about
the early people from Egypt. This is similar to the Southwest early people because
we are always gaining new information about the Native Americans and that plays a
role into our current history.
Citation:
Jarus, Owen. "Ancient Tomb with pyramid Entrance Found in Egypt." NBC News 31 4
2014, n. pag. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
Rosenbloom, Jonathan. "Tombs Discovered in Egypt."Time for Kids 24 5 2010, n. pag.
Web. 7 Apr. 2014. <http://www.timeforkids.com/news/tombs-discoveredegypt/11861>.