The Egyptian-Japanese archaeological mission has discovered mastabas, tombs and burials that shed further light on the history of Saqqara. Excavations on the site’s eastern slope by the joint mission of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and Japan’s Kanazawa University uncovered four tombs dating to the late Second and early Third Dynasties, along with more than 10 burials from the Eighteenth Dynasty of the New Kingdom.
Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy praised Egyptian and foreign archaeological missions for uncovering discoveries that reveal more of ancient Egypt’s history and secrets.
Mohamed Ismail, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, emphasized the discovery’s importance and said Saqqara still holds many unrevealed secrets. The findings suggest the necropolis extends farther north than previously known. Burials dating to the early Eighteenth Dynasty also demonstrate that Saqqara began serving as a New Kingdom cemetery when Memphis was restored as Egypt’s capital after the expulsion of the Hyksos.
Mohamed Abdel Badie, head of the council’s Egyptian Antiquities Sector, said the Second- and Third-Dynasty tombs comprise two mudbrick mastabas and two rock-cut tombs. One lies near the northern edge of the Saqqara plateau and features a superstructure and a shaft secured by a limestone blocking at the entrance to the passage leading to the burial chamber. Another mastaba adjoins the rocky slope and consists of a mudbrick upper section with a rectangular shaft in its center.
Several vessels were also discovered nearby, including an Egyptian alabaster dish and a solid cylindrical vessel that may date to the late Second and early Third Dynasties, as well as a limestone blocking. Further excavations in coming seasons will investigate what lies inside.
Nozomu Kawai, head of the Japanese side of the mission, said the team also restored and cleaned the Greco-Roman catacomb discovered during earlier seasons. Cleaning revealed mummified human remains and artifacts including terracotta models of funerary chapels, terracotta fragments depicting the heads of Isis and Aphrodite, wooden coffin fragments and pottery. The mission will continue its work next season to uncover more of the important site’s secrets.
