Archaeologists Found A 4,000-Year-Old Egyptian Burial Chamber Featuring Two Intact Middle Kingdom Coffins That Belonged To The Daughter Of An Ancient Egyptian Governor

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A 4,000-year-old Egyptian burial chamber was uncovered in the ancient city of Asyut during excavation work conducted by researchers from the University of Sohag in Egypt and the Free University of Berlin.

According to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the city was an important cultural center during Egypt’s Middle Kingdom, a period that stretched from around 2030 to 1650 B.C.E.

The burial chamber featured two wooden coffins painted with decorations. One of them was stacked inside the other. Idi, the only daughter of a prominent local governor, was buried in the coffins.

“Finding two intact Middle Kingdom coffins is extraordinary,” said Kathlyn Cooney, a professor of ancient Egyptian art and architecture at UCLA who was not part of the discovery.

The coffins “not only seem well-preserved but covered with intricate coffin texts that helped the deceased find their way in the realm of the underworld.”

Idi’s chamber was found near the tomb belonging to her father, Djefaihapi. He was the governor of the Asyut region, located along the Nile River.

His burial was the largest tomb of a non-royal built during the Middle Kingdom. This suggests that Djefaihapi was one of the most distinguished regional governors of his time.

Idi’s tomb was almost 50 feet below the ground. It appeared to have been robbed during ancient times, but it still contained her two painted coffins.

The larger coffin measured about 8.5 feet long, while the smaller one was 7.5 feet. The coffins were covered in hieroglyphic texts, which referred to Idi as “the lady of the house.”

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An analysis of her skeletal remains revealed that she likely died before the age of 40 and had a congenital defect in one foot.

The researchers also found a canopic jar designed to hold the mummy’s internal organs and two painted wooden figurines.

One of the standing statuettes might represent Idi. The other figurine seemed to depict a woman marching.

Idi’s father served as the governor of Asyut during the reign of Senusret I, the second pharaoh of the 12th Dynasty of Egypt.

He ruled from 1971 to 1926 B.C.E. and was associated with the height of the 12th Dynasty’s stability and power.

“This new discovery in Asyut will add more to what we know about the Middle Kingdom, which is all too often overshadowed by the earlier Old Kingdom ‘Pyramid Age’ and the later New Kingdom, with its big-name pharaohs such as Tutankhamun and [Ramesses II],” said Joann Fletcher, a professor with the Department of Archaeology at the University of York in the United Kingdom, who was not involved in the study.

Over the past 130 years, many tombs and artifacts have been unearthed from Asyut during questionable excavations.

Further excavation work and analysis of the recent remains will continue, and they will receive official documentation and publication.

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Emily  Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a ... More about Emily Chan
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