Antiquities Announces Discovery of 1st Middle Kingdom Tomb in Asasif Necropolis

The joint Egyptian-American archaeological mission working on the South Asasif Necropolis restoration project discovered the first Middle Kingdom tomb containing several closed burials that had not been opened before, in addition to a group of unique archaeological finds, during the archaeological cleaning of the rubble in the southern part of the surface of the Karabasken (TT 391) tomb from the 25th Dynasty located in the Asasif Necropolis.

Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities stressed the importance of this discovery as it will change the history of the Asasif Necropolis and make it part of the major Middle Kingdom cemeteries in Thebes, and it will also contribute to understanding the burial rituals in the Necropolis during the Middle Kingdom.

Inside the tomb, 11 burials were found, including skeletons of men, women and children, indicating that it was a family cemetery that was used for several generations during the 12th and early 13th dynasties, in addition to the discovery of many unique jewelry in the women's burials and a group of archaeological finds, all of which likely date back to the early 12th dynasty.

The secretary-general added that most of these burials were severely damaged by floods that destroyed the wood of the coffins and the linen coverings, but many of the burial contents made of less damaged materials were preserved and were found in their original location among the remains of the skeletons.

Hesham El-Leithy, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Preservation and Registration Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities explained that among the most prominent archaeological discoveries is a a unique necklace of 30 amethyst beads and two cylindrical agate beads framing a hippo-head amulet, in addition to a group of rings, bracelets, and chains made of red agate, blue and green faience, and stone inlays, all adorned with animal-shaped amulets, all of which are in good condition.

Catherine Blakeney, head of the U.S. archaeological mission pointed out that two of these burials contained copper mirrors, one with a handle in the shape of a lotus flower, and another with a rare design of the face of the goddess Hathor with four faces showing her as a woman with stern features, in addition to a number of copper ingots, and a small fertility statue made of blue and green faience with cut legs, well designed and decorated with a variety of jewelry. Also, around 4,000 clay beads were found next to the small statue, forming her original hair.

A square-shaped offering table with a low edge and a water channel in the middle surrounded by reliefs of a bull's head, a loaf of bread and other offerings were also found.

Meantime, excavations will continue to reveal more secrets of this tomb.