A joint Dutch-Italian archaeological mission has discovered a Ramesside-era tomb and four small chapels that date back to more than 3000 years ago at Saqqara necropolis, south of the capital Cairo, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a statement on Wednesday.
The tomb, located near the three Pyramids of Giza, belonged to a nobleman named Banhasi who was also the chief servant of the tomb of Aten, the chief judge of Lower Egypt.
“The new discovery will contribute to shedding light on the developments of construction in Saqqara cemetery during the Ramesside period and will uncover identities of new persons who had not been recorded in historical sources,” the statement said.
The temple-shaped tomb has an entrance, hall, and well leading to a burial room and three chapels.
Inside the tomb, the mission found a stela picturing Banhasi and his wife, known as the singer of Amun, before a table of sacrifice and several drawings of priests and animals.
The statement added that two of the discovered chapels have well-preserved inscriptions of funeral scenes and drawings that tell the story of the resurrection of a mummy to live in another world.
