Egypt unveils treasures at ancient site in discovery that ‘rewrites history’
- Finds at the Saqqara necropolis include sarcophagi more than 3,000 years old
- Also uncovered was the funerary temple of Queen Nearit, wife of King Teti
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Egypt unveils treasures at ancient site in find that ‘rewrites history’
Egypt on Sunday unveiled ancient treasures found at the Saqqara archaeological site near Cairo, including sarcophagi over 3,000 years old, a discovery that “rewrites history”, according to famed Egyptologist Zahi Hawass.
Saqqara is a vast necropolis of the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis, a Unesco World Heritage Site home to more than a dozen pyramids, ancient monasteries, and animal burial sites.
A team headed by Hawass made the finds near the pyramid of King Teti, the first pharaoh of the Sixth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom.
More than 50 wooden sarcophagi dating to the New Kingdom (16th century BC to 11th century BC) were found in a burial shaft, Hawass said on Sunday.
“This discovery rewrites the history of Saqqara and more specifically the history of the New Kingdom, which began 3,000 years ago,” he said.