A stunning archaeological discovery has been made in the Saqqara necropolis, near Cairo in Egypt, after a team of Spanish and Egyptian archaeologists discovered the tomb of a royal judge, estimated to be 4,400 years old.
As announced by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the tomb dates back to the era of Pharaoh Zendkare Izezi, of the 5th Dynasty, who reigned between 2381-2353 BC. It contains "two funerary shrines belonging to two high officials, Yunmen and his father, Iti."
According to local authorities, a man named "Yunmen" was buried at the site, who was a royal judge with the authority to hear the people's complaints. The discovery was made in the summer. The reliefs and their original colors are in excellent condition.
For the archaeological team, the discovery was also a surprise due to the richness and beauty of the monument. Among the most prominent features are a high-quality epistyle and funerary texts tailored to the personality and positions of their owner.
The Egyptian ministry also highlights the excellent state of preservation of the scenes and reliefs, which depict "agricultural activities and processions with offerings," and notes that many of them "have preserved their original colors."
The decoration includes depictions of donkeys and other animals. According to Egyptian authorities, the discovery “provides new and valuable evidence about the architecture, art and administrative life of ancient Egypt at the end of the Fifth Dynasty.”
In addition to its historical and scientific value, the “mastaba” (the Arabic name for the pyramid-shaped tombs of ancient Egypt) is notable for its beauty. Archaeologists believe that the double tomb may reflect the social rise of Yunmen, the son of a provincial official who rose to a high position in the central administration and wanted to share the fate of burial with his father.
The area is known from excavations conducted by Auguste Mariette in the 19th century, but had never been studied and documented in depth. The research aimed to reconstruct the topography of Saqqara and understand the necropolis as a living space, where ancient Egyptians brought offerings and worked continuously on the construction of funerary monuments.
The goal is to understand how the necropolis was organized and functioned, from its streets and squares to the movement of people and worship rituals. Analysis of the maps and reconstruction of the plan led the team to a previously unknown mastaba and indications of two others nearby, which they hope to excavate in future periods. ©LAPSI.al
