Conny Waters – AncientPages.com – Situated 40 km southwest of Cairo, Saqqara is a big cemetery of Memphis, a necessary metropolis in historical Egyptian historical past.
The title Saqqara seemingly originates from Sokar, the god related to this necropolis. Serving as an open-air museum, Saqqara encapsulates the whole thing of historical Egyptian historical past. It was the burial web site for kings and noblemen from the primary two dynasties (circa 3040–2686 BC) and homes the Step Pyramid of Djoser (circa 2686–2667 BC).
Credit score: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
Regardless of in depth excavations over time, a lot about this intriguing web site stays undiscovered. Nevertheless, ongoing archaeological efforts proceed to unveil new insights into its previous. The Egyptian-Japanese archaeological mission has uncovered tombs, mastabas, and burials, together with constructions and artifacts from the 2nd, third, and 18th Dynasties.
Credit score: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
These findings lengthen our understanding of Saqqara’s boundaries and illuminate its evolving significance throughout varied intervals in Egyptian historical past. Excavations on Saqqara’s jap slope have revealed 4 mastaba tombs from the late 2nd and early third Dynasties, together with greater than ten burials from the New Kingdom’s 18th Dynasty.
Credit score: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
“This new proof means that Saqqara was not solely a significant burial web site in the course of the Previous Kingdom but in addition grew to become important in the course of the New Kingdom when Memphis was reinstated as Egypt’s capital following the expulsion of the Hyksos,” mentioned Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA).
The current findings on the Saqqara necropolis have shed new gentle on its historic significance, suggesting that the location extends additional north than beforehand thought. Mohamed Abdel-Badie, head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector, emphasised the potential for future discoveries because of many untold secrets and techniques nonetheless hidden inside the web site.
Credit score: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
Detailed descriptions of newly found tombs embrace two mudbrick mastabas and two rock-cut tombs. One notable tomb close to the northern fringe of Saqqara includes a limestone-sealed shaft resulting in a burial chamber, whereas one other mastaba close to a rocky slope features a mudbrick superstructure with a central rectangular shaft.
Credit score: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
Artifacts discovered close to these tombs—akin to an alabaster dish, a strong cylindrical vessel from the late 2nd and early third Dynasties, and limestone sealing—provide priceless insights into historical burial practices and materials tradition. The excavation is a part of a collaborative effort between Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) and Japan’s Kanazawa College, led by Nozomu Kawai.
Credit score: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
Along with these discoveries, the staff has restored Greco-Roman catacombs uncovered in earlier seasons. This restoration revealed mummified stays and artifacts like terracotta fashions of funerary shrines, fragments of Isis and Aphrodite collectible figurines, wood coffin items, and pottery shards. These findings spotlight Saqqara’s wealthy historical past as an necessary burial web site throughout a number of eras.
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The mission goals to proceed excavations subsequent season with hopes of uncovering extra hidden treasures at Saqqara. These ongoing efforts are essential for increasing information about Egypt’s historical previous and preserving its cultural heritage for future generations worldwide.
Written by Conny Waters – AncientPages.com Employees Author
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Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
Nevine El-Aref – New discoveries in Saqqara unveil hidden secrets of old, new kingdoms, Ahram Online
