September 28, 2020
The Egyptian archaeological mission led by Dr. Mostafa El-Waziri uncovered a 5 meter shaft in Tuna El-Gebel, in an area locally known as El-Ghoreefa.
The shaft contained a sealed sarcophagus made of limestone, over 2,500 years old. The lid is decorated with religious scenes containing the four sons of Horus, who were a group of four gods related to the mummified organs. The shaft also contained various ushabti figurines made of faience. Ushabtis were important grave goods and had an important role in the afterlife as they functioned to serve the deceased in the netherworld.
Careful examination of the contents revealed that the person buried within the shaft was called Djehuty-Im-Hotep and the shaft was dated to Dynasty 26 of the Late Period (circa 664-525 BCE). Djehuty held the title of High Priest of Thoth, also known as the Great of Five. It was also shown that he was the son of Her-sa-iset, another High Priest who’s sarcophagus was uncovered by the same team in 2018.
Both figures were High Priests in the nearby Temple of Thoth, god of wisdom and writing, in the ancient city of Hermopolis. The team working for the past 3 years in the site have uncovered a chain of family tombs all related to, and working in, the Temple of Thoth, during the Later Period of ancient Egyptian history. So far 19 tombs and over 70 sarcophagi have been uncovered made of various material and sizes, in addition to a magnitude of funerary material that is currently being studied by the mission.
