Archaeologists Found 3 Tombs That Were Hidden Beneath the Sand for 3,500 Years
Egyptian archaeologists discovered three tombs in Luxor from Egypt's New Kingdom.
Each tomb came with an inscription to give clues as to the name and position of its inhabitant.
Some of the tomb architecture was impressively expansive.
Three New Kingdom tombs were recently discovered in Luxor. While that's worth celebrating on its own, it gets even better—researchers found inscriptions in the tombs that help tell the stories of the high-ranking officials that were once buried there.
According to a translated statement from Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the three tombs—discovered in the necropolis of Draa Abu El-Naga on the west bank of Luxor—all come from the New Kingdom (1539 to 1077 B.C.). One is from the 19th Dynasty, led by the Ramesside family, and the other two are from the 18th Dynasty.
The 19th Dynasty tomb belonged to Amun-em-Ipet—an official who likely worked in the temple or the estate of Amun. While much of the funerary furniture and decorations had faded or been destroyed over time, artistry that was still visible depicted scenes of offering, funerary furniture carriers, and banqueting. The tomb itself was highlighted by a small courtyard that led into the square chamber. The west wall once featured a spot to hold funerary goods, but it was destroyed during later reuse.
The two 18th Dynasty tombs were similar in design. One belonged to a person named Baki, who was likely a granary silo supervisor. Baki's tomb is more complex than the one from the 19th Dynasty, with a long hallway-styled courtyard leading to a second courtyard ahead of the main entrance. The tomb then turns and opens into a long chamber with a funerary room.
The third tomb belonged to a person called Es, who had a longer list of responsibilities and was known to be a key official in the Temple of Amun in the oasis, the governor of the northern oasis, and a scribe. The tomb closely mirrors that of Baki, and features a small courtyard containing a well, followed by the tomb's main entrance, and then a transverse hall leading to another (incomplete) longitudinal hall.
Mohamed Ismail Khaled, the Secretary General of Egypt's Supreme Council for Antiquities, said that experts will continue to study the carvings and hope to gain more information about the tomb's owners.
Sherif Fathy, Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Archaeology, called the find by a scientific and archaeological achievement that will greatly contribute to attracting more visitors to the region.
You Might Also Like
The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape
The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere
Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
12 hours ago
- CNN
What the Gaza blockade looks like through the eyes of Egyptian truck drivers and aid workers
For nearly two years, Egyptian truck drivers have braved the only land crossing into Gaza outside Israel to deliver vital aid, but long delays, Israeli rejections and harsh border conditions are testing their resolve to continue serving Palestinians in the war-torn enclave. The drivers spend weeks parked near the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, awaiting approvals from Israeli authorities to transport aid into Gaza. Once approval is granted, they are made to undergo a process of inspections on both sides of the border that Egyptian aid workers say often lasts almost 18 hours. Upon receiving approval from the Egyptian side, the drivers take their trucks into a zone designated for inspections by the Israeli military south of the border, at the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing between Israel and Gaza, where their supplies, pre-approved by the Israeli military, are x-rayed and then checked again in what workers say is an onerous process. Medhat Mohamed, a truck driver transporting food like jam, honey, beans and hummus, said he was told to turn back by the Israeli military on Wednesday, after waiting for two weeks to enter the inspection process at the Egyptian border. 'I was asked, 'Why do you have so much food? Who is this for?' Or sometimes we get the most basic answer of: 'Time's up,'' Mohamed said. Some of the drivers spend weeks on end without seeing family and say they're missing out on potentially lucrative jobs in other parts of Egypt. 'We've been here for almost a week, we went in (to the Israeli inspection site) once before and then they told us turn around, we don't know why… 150-200 trucks go in for inspections, but they only take 15-20 trucks. The rest is rejected,' said Mohamed al-Shaer, a truck driver. Mahmoud al-Sheikh, another driver who has been delivering aid to Gaza since the start of the war nearly two years ago, described the process as 'humiliating' for the truckers, and for the Palestinians who desperately need supplies. 'I've been (delivering aid) for two years. This is the most difficult time, more than one can imagine,' he said, referring to increased restrictions on deliveries. Al-Sheikh described difficult living conditions at the border, with thousands of drivers parked in a nearby 'sand pit' awaiting a green light to start moving the aid to the border. A handful of bathroom stalls in a nearby mosque serve thousands of truck drivers, who must stay near their vehicles in case a sudden ceasefire allows aid to enter Gaza freely, the drivers told CNN. The two short-lived ceasefires Gaza saw since the war began were 13 months apart. The pay is low. 'We get paid 650 Egyptian pounds ($13) daily but we have to buy water to bathe and drink, buy ice to preserve food, expensive food to cook. Whatever is left is not enough to send back to our children,' al-Sheikh said. Asked why he continues in this line of work, al-Sheikh said: 'Because the people in Gaza are starving.' Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told CNN that 5,000 trucks carrying aid are waiting on the Egyptian side of the border to enter. COGAT, the Israeli military body that oversees access to Gaza, told CNN on Tuesday that it 'does not prevent the entry of trucks from Egypt and facilitates their passage into Gaza without any quantitative restriction.' Amal Emam, the head of the Egyptian Red Crescent, said on Monday that aid groups on the Egyptian side ensure they are meeting all the requirements placed by COGAT, but they often find that even items that are pre-approved by Israel are rejected, sometimes for apparently arbitrary reasons. 'For us, it's trial and error,' Emam said. She showed CNN hundreds of packages of aid piling up in an Egyptian warehouse near the Rafah crossing, including intensive care unit (ICU) beds, oxygen tanks, solar panels and generators. These, she said, were rejected by Israel several times during inspections at the border. 'The ICU beds were rejected four times because they have metal parts in them,' she told CNN's Becky Anderson. Responding to Emam's claims to CNN, COGAT said on X Wednesday: 'The beds arrived at the crossing stacked in a dangerously unstable way, making it impossible to unload them at the crossing, and putting the safety of crossing staff at risk.' 'The organization was therefore asked to properly repalletize the trucks, and once the cargo was securely restacked, the trucks entered Gaza yesterday.' Emam said the package dimensions are properly measured, loaded on specific wooden pallets, digitally coded and manifested in coordination with Israel before the items are sent to the border for IDF inspections. Otherwise, any difference, no matter how small, will hinder aid access, she said. 'Sometimes we don't get an answer as to why they have been rejected.' COGAT said that 'trucks are denied entry only in cases involving attempts to smuggle prohibited goods, or if the truck driver has previously made multiple smuggling attempts and is therefore barred from arriving at the crossing.' The process is costly and adds 'unnecessary financial burden' to 'pack, repack, add extra areas to store,' Emam said, adding that huge warehouses have been built in Egypt to store and preserve all the aid waiting to make its way into Gaza. Striking images of starvation and extreme malnutrition after months of Israel's blockade of Gaza triggered global protests last month. Protests targeted Egyptian embassies abroad as demonstrators accused the Egyptian government of complicity in the blocking of aid. Egypt's foreign minister organized a visit for news organizations to the Gaza border amid the mounting pressure, saying the burden lies with Israel, and that the Rafah border is open round the clock on the Egyptian side, but that the crossing remains closed on the Israeli-controlled side. In a CNN report published last year, two dozen humanitarian workers and government officials working to deliver aid said a clear pattern of Israeli throttling of aid exists. COGAT imposes arbitrary and contradictory criteria, they said. CNN also reviewed documents compiled by major participants in the humanitarian operation that list the items most frequently rejected by the Israelis, which include anesthetics and anesthesia machines, oxygen cylinders, ventilators and water filtration systems. Despite the restrictions, Emam said, aid workers refuse to give up. 'If we stop doing this, who will do it?'
New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
Ancient Egyptian desert inscriptions may reveal oldest known reference to Moses, researcher says
A researcher may have uncovered the oldest written references to Moses, dating back 3,800 years and hidden in an Egyptian desert. The two etchings were found at Serabit el-Khadim, an ancient turquoise mining site in the Sinai Desert where Semitic laborers once worked during the Middle Bronze Age. Advertisement The Proto-Sinaitic inscriptions date back between 1800 and 1600 B.C. They were etched centuries before the earliest parts of the Bible were written, between the 10th and 7th centuries B.C. The two inscriptions, among many at the site, were first discovered in the early 1900s – but they're now being reanalyzed by an American-Israeli epigraphist named Michael S. Bar-Ron. The expert, who's also a graduate student at Ariel University, spoke with Fox News Digital about the discovery. Bar-Ron posits that the inscriptions read 'Zot M'Moshe' and 'Ne'um Moshe.' Advertisement The phrases may mean 'This is from Moses' and 'Declaration of Moses,' respectively. If verified, the inscriptions are the earliest written mention of Moses outside the Bible. The inscriptions also reference El, a deity associated with the Abrahamic God, while censuring the ancient pagan goddess Ba`alat. 4 The two etchings were found at Serabit el-Khadim, an ancient turquoise mining site in the Sinai Desert where Semitic laborers once worked during the Middle Bronze Age. Courtesy Michael S. Bar-Ron Advertisement Speaking to Fox News Digital, Bar-Ron noted that the Serabit el-Khadim site once housed a temple to Ba`alat. Some of the etchings, Bar-Ron says, seem to reflect resistance to the goddess's worship from Semitic workers. 'Rather than lauding Ba`alat … [the] readings curse out the Ba`alat cult, with words of warning and rebuke to its followers,' Bar-Ron said. He added, 'They include the terms 'BŠ' – 'for shame' or 'this is shameful' – and 'nimosh,' [which means] 'let us leave' [or] 'remove ourselves.'' Advertisement 4 The two inscriptions, among many at the site, were first discovered in the early 1900s – but they're now being reanalyzed by an American-Israeli epigraphist named Michael S. Bar-Ron. Courtesy Michael S. Bar-Ron The Herculean task of translating the ancient etchings took nearly a decade, Bar-Ron said. 'I spent eight years actively involved in the painstaking, oft-frustrating reconstruction of some 23 wordy Proto-Sinaitic inscriptions,' the epigraphist noted. 'That is, based on the principles of the foremost greats in the field, and informed by the work of my distinguished colleagues in the field.' He also believes the 'Moses' inscriptions may have a common author, pointing to certain 'stylistic points' such as word usage. Bar-Ron's larger graduate thesis explores 'a Mosaic-type leadership' in the region at the time. He described the latest revelations about the inscriptions as 'nonessential icing on the cake.' Advertisement 4 Some of the etchings, Bar-Ron says, seem to reflect resistance to the goddess's worship from Semitic workers. Courtesy Michael S. Bar-Ron 'The finding 'Zot M'Moshe' and 'Ne'um Moshe' were really last-minute discoveries and nonessential to that subpoint (possible Mosaic authorship), within a much more serious thesis,' he said. Bar-Ron also noted that his findings will be peer-reviewed in the future; his research has already been edited over 100 times. 'If we were drawing such conclusions on the basis of one or two inscriptions, it would be weak,' he observed. 'Rather, they are based on what is understood across the full set found at Serabit el-Khadim.' Advertisement 4 The phrases may mean 'This is from Moses' and 'Declaration of Moses,' respectively, according to reports. Courtesy Michael S. Bar-Ron 'I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for educated readers to actually read the proto-thesis itself.' Excavators have long searched for archaeological evidence of Moses, mostly without success. Advertisement Last summer, an ancient sword from the era of the Book of Exodus was uncovered in Egypt. More recently, a French expert identified ancient 'propaganda' praising Ramesses II, the Egyptian leader who may have challenged Moses.
Fox News
3 days ago
- Fox News
Oldest written reference to Moses may be revealed in ancient Egyptian desert inscriptions, researcher says
A researcher may have uncovered the oldest-ever written references to Moses, dating back 3,800 years and hidden in an Egyptian desert. The two etchings were found at Serabit el-Khadim, an ancient turquoise mining site in the Sinai desert where Semitic laborers once worked during the Middle Bronze Age. The Proto-Sinaitic inscriptions date back between 1800 and 1600 B.C. They were etched centuries before the earliest parts of the Bible were written between the 10th and 7th centuries B.C. The two inscriptions, among many at the site, were first discovered in the early 1900s – but they're now being reanalyzed by an American-Israeli epigraphist named Michael S. Bar-Ron. The expert, who's also a graduate student at Ariel University, spoke with Fox News Digital about the discovery. Bar-Ron posits that the inscriptions read "Zot M'Moshe" and "Ne'um Moshe." The phrases may mean "This is from Moses" and "Declaration of Moses," respectively. If verified, the inscriptions are the earliest written mention of Moses outside the Bible. The inscriptions also reference El, a deity associated with the Abrahamic God, while censuring the ancient pagan goddess Ba`alat. If verified, the inscriptions are the earliest written mention of Moses outside the Bible. Speaking to Fox News Digital, Bar-Ron noted that the Serabit el-Khadim site once housed a temple to Ba`alat. Some of the etchings, Bar-Ron says, seem to reflect resistance to the goddess's worship from Semitic workers. "[Ra]ather than lauding Ba`alat … [the] readings curse out the Ba`alat cult, with words of warning and rebuke to its followers," Bar-Ron said. He added, "They include the terms 'BŠ' – 'for shame' or 'this is shameful' – and 'nimosh,' [which means] 'let us leave' [or] 'remove ourselves.'" The Herculean task of translating the ancient etchings took nearly a decade, Bar-Ron said. "I spent eight years actively involved in the painstaking, oft-frustrating reconstruction of some 23 wordy Proto-Sinaitic inscriptions," the epigraphist noted. "That is, based on the principles of the foremost greats in the field, and informed by the work of my distinguished colleagues in the field." He also believes the "Moses" inscriptions may have a common author, pointing to certain "stylistic points" such as word usage. Bar-Ron's larger graduate thesis explores "a Mosaic-type leadership" in the region at the time. He described the latest revelations about the inscriptions as "non-essential icing on the cake." "The finding 'Zot M'Moshe' and 'Ne'um Moshe' were really last-minute discoveries and non-essential to that subpoint (possible Mosaic authorship), within a much more serious thesis," he said. Bar-Ron also noted that his findings will be peer-reviewed in the future; his research has already been edited over 100 times. "If we were drawing such conclusions on the basis of one or two inscriptions, it would be weak," he observed. "Rather, they are based on what is understood across the full set found at Serabit el-Khadim." "I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for educated readers to actually read the proto-thesis itself." Excavators have long searched for archaeological evidence of Moses, mostly without success. Last summer, an ancient sword from the era of the Book of Exodus was uncovered in Egypt. More recently, a French expert identified ancient "propaganda" praising Ramesses II, the Egyptian leader who may have challenged Moses.
