Archaeologists at the ancient necropolis of Saqqara have made groundbreaking discoveries, including the tomb of an previously unknown Egyptian queen named Neith. Alongside this royal find, they have uncovered a treasure trove consisting of 300 coffins, over 100 mummies, and various other artifacts.
These remarkable findings, located not far from Cairo, come on the heels of recent excavations that revealed objects associated with Pharaoh Teti and the sarcophagus of King Ramses II’s treasurer. Earlier this year, Egyptian authorities also announced the discovery of a tomb belonging to a royal dignitary at the same site.
Among the newly discovered mummies are likely the remains of Tut’s generals and advisors. However, the most intriguing revelation is the identification of a pyramid dedicated to an ancient queen, now believed to be Neith, previously unknown in historical records.
Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, former Minister of Antiquities, expressed astonishment at rewriting history by adding a new queen to the annals. “We have since discovered that her name was Neith, and she had never before been known from the historical record,” he told Live Science. “It is amazing to literally rewrite what we know of history, adding a new queen to our records.”
Archaeologists conducting excavations at Saqqara now believe that this pyramid was built for Queen Neith, a previously unknown ruler. The discovery sheds new light on the history of ancient Egypt. Additionally, the excavations uncovered a series of 22 interconnected tunnels, believed to be New Kingdom burials dating back to 1570 B.C.E. to 1069 B.C.E. Unlike earlier discoveries at Saqqara, which mainly date to the Old Kingdom or the Late Period, these findings provide insights into a different era of Egyptian history.
“Burials from the New Kingdom were not known to be common in the area before, so this is entirely unique to the site,” Hawass added. “The coffins have individual faces, each one unique, distinguishing between men and women, and are decorated with scenes from the Book of the Dead. Each coffin also has the name of the deceased and often shows the Four Sons of Horus, who protected the organs of the deceased.”
The excavation at Saqqara has been underway since 2020, yielding a wealth of new finds. The most recent discoveries include a mummy of a woman with a solid gold mask, gaming pieces for the ancient game of Senet, a massive limestone sarcophagus, and a soldier buried with a metal axe in his hand.
The nation plans to display some of these artifacts at the forthcoming Grand Egyptian Museum, slated to finally open next year in Giza.
