In the heart of the pyramidal fields of Abusir and Saqqara, in the Egypt, an incredible archaeological discovery has dazzled the world.
After being hidden for more than 160 years, a mysterious tomb has finally been rediscovered by a team of Czech archaeologists.
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The treasure buried inside lost tomb reveals story of Ptahshepses, an Egyptian official who lived approximately 4,400 years ago, and whose life and deeds now emerge from the sands of time.
The saga began in 1863, when French scholar Auguste Mariette had a vision of a peculiar tomb, but due to the disappearance of the false door and a wooden beam, the place was forgotten for decades.
(Image: M. Bárta/Reproduction)
Now, thanks to detailed satellite imagery and meticulous research into maps ancient, the tomb of Ptahshepses was finally found in 2022.
The team of archaeologists, led by Miroslav Bárta, head of research in the Abusir sector, celebrated the discovery as a milestone in the history of Egyptology.
(Image: M. Bárta/Reproduction)
Inside the tomb from Ptahshepses, archaeologists have found a wealth of artifacts that offer an extraordinary glimpse into ancient Egypt.
The tomb's false door contains a detailed biography of Ptahshepses' clerical career, highlighting his education at the court of Ptahshepses. ruler of Giza, Menkaure, and his marriage to Princess Chamaat, daughter of Userkaf, the founder of the 5th Dynasty of the Sun Kings.
Such a discovery suggests that Ptahshepses was the first non-royal official to have the honor of marrying a royal princess.
But the most surprising find was a reference to Osiris on the tomb's beam, indicating that Ptahshepses may have played a key role in introducing the god of the afterlife into the pantheon Egyptian.
The discovery has significant political, historical and religious implications, making the tomb of Ptahshepses one of the most notable in recent Egyptian archaeology.
The tomb has been dated to the reign of Nyuserra Ini, the sixth ruler of the 5th Dynasty during the Old Kingdom.
In last year's excavations, archaeologists exposed a mastaba (an ancient type of Egyptian tomb) measuring 42 meters long and 22 meters wide. It contained a richly decorated chapel, two serdabs (spaces for statues of the owner) and a long access corridor.
(Image: M. Bárta/Reproduction)
In the burial chamber, already looted in antiquity, original artifacts were found, including votive offerings and ceramics.
Surprisingly, a mummified fish, the first of its kind ever discovered, was also present in the tomb.
At the heart of the discovery was the mummy of Ptahshepses himself, resting in a partially opened sarcophagus. The mummy and his tomb shed light on the life and deeds of this man who shaped the course of Egyptian history.
As archaeologists continue their research, other discoveries promise to further enrich our understanding the family and period of Ptahshepses, illuminating a fascinating page of hidden Egyptian history for centuries.