Discovery of Two Ancient Tombs Dating Back 3,500 Years Announced in Egypt
Archaeologists announced the discovery of two ancient tombs in the city of Luxor on Saturday. The excavation team believes the burial chambers date back to the 18th dynasty of the ancient Egyptians, around 3,500 years ago.
The tombs contained several artefacts, texts and wall paintings alongside mummified remains.
As for the identity of the mummies, head of the Egyptian excavation mission Dr. Mostafa Waziri was able to provide some clues. “We believe that the mummy could be a top official or powerful figure in court. We think the mummy belongs to a person who lived in the second part of the 18th dynasty, which means they may belong to the era of King Amenhotep II through to the IV,” he said.
The location of the tombs, on the west bank of the river Nile, was identified by German archaeologist Federica Kampp in the 1990s. However, ‘Kampp 150’ and ‘Kampp 160’, the names assigned to the tombs, had never been entered before.
The Egyptian government hopes that the discovery will boost the country’s ailing tourism sector, which has been in decline since 2011 due to political unrest.
