Eight mummies and more than 1,000 funerary statues have been discovered by archaeologists in a tomb in Dra-abu’el-Naga, currently Luxor, near the Valley of the Kings where Egyptian royals were laid to rest thousands of years ago in Southern Egypt.
The tomb was thought to be owned by a nobleman, Userhat, who was a judge in Egypt’s 18th Dynasty, about 3,500 years ago. He died of a disease, which archaeologists and scientists are trying to identify, according to History.com.
The tomb is thought to have first been used for him and his family, but was opened later during the 21st Dynasty as a safe place to store mummies during times when grave robbing was common.
In addition to the mummies and statues, 10 sarcophagi in good condition also were found. Some of the sarcophagi still have color from the paint used to decorate them thousands of years ago.
The funerary statues represented servants who would help and serve the deceased in the afterlife, Smithsonian Magazine reported.
The remains of clay pots were also discovered in the cemetery, LiveScience reported.
Archaeologists plan to continue excavating the area and think they will uncover the entire complex in time. Egyptian Antiquity’s Ministry’s Luxor department is headed by Mostafa Waziri, who is leading the excavation.
Just since the beginning of the year, Swedish archaeologists have found 12 burial sites nirth of Aswan, and last month an ancient pyramid was found south of Cairo.
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