Science Uncovers a Hidden Mystery in Egypt: An Amazing Ark

This week, a team of Egyptian archaeologists made a landmark discovery. Ola El-Ajezy, honorary professor at the Faculty of Archeology at Cairo University, and her colleagues found a pink granite sarcophagus belonging to a high-ranking official who served during the reign of Ramses II: Ptah Umm Weya.

This man was the royal secretary, chief supervisor of livestock and treasurer of the famous pharaoh, according to a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The sarcophagus was discovered in the necropolis of Saqqara, more than 30 kilometers south of Cairo, a year after the discovery of the tomb of Ptah im Wia.

It took archaeologists months of excavation to reach the underground burial chamber

In the center of the cemetery’s courtyard, Al-Ajezi’s team discovered the top of a vertical shaft, indicating a passage to the burial chamber. But that hole turned out to be so deep, 8m, that it took a week to remove all the sand, using a bucket attached to a hand rope winch.

Al-Ajizi made a slow and dangerous descent into the pit. In the background, I was surprised to find the sarcophagus. The archaeologist specifies that the hieroglyphs and the motifs depicting deities on the sarcophagus prove that Ptah Em Wea “played a very important role in the administration of that time”.

In addition to the historical scheme, the find is important at the archaeological level: sarcophagi rarely survive in their original tomb, since tombs were often reused for successive deceased. According to a preliminary analysis of Agizi, it is possible that the tomb of Ptah Em Wea was looted in the past, as evidenced by the partially broken sarcophagus lid.

Egypt can congratulate itself on making an invaluable new discovery of its heritage, carried out as part of a national mission led by a famous archaeologist.

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Egypt fascinates the world

First, there was the first reconstruction of the face of Ramses II, a virtual journey to the top of the pyramid of Khufu and to the heart of the pharaoh’s funeral. With these events, humans renew Egyptian obsession. Our passion for ancient Egypt has not wavered. Two great memories allow us to surrender to this: the bicentennial of Champollion’s deciphering of the hieroglyphic codes and the centenary of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. Now, with this new discovery of a pink granite sarcophagus, everything has been revamped.

Despite numerous searches, the tomb of the famous Egyptian queen Nefertiti has not yet been discovered. In 2015, British Egyptologist Carl Nicholas Reeves hypothesized the existence of a secret burial chamber. It is not far from the tomb of Tutankhamun, in which Nefertiti was buried.

Since then, radar studies have been carried out in vain. But a recent analysis of the hieroglyphs hidden in Tutankhamun’s tomb is bringing the theory back to center stage. Namely, that Tutankhamun is the son of Akhenaten and another unknown woman (could be Akhenaten’s sister or cousin). The mummy was named after the youngest lady by Egyptologists.

In fact, Nefertiti is said to have died around 1334-1333 BC. JC, but her disappearance remains as mysterious to this day as its origins. Reeves and his team noted that cartouches depicting the burial of Tutankhamun by his successor, Pharaoh Ay, were painted on cartouches. They represent Tutankhamun himself burying Nefertiti, queen of Egypt and wife of King Akhenaten. In conclusion, these hidden hieroglyphs are especially revealing.

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