Archaeology & History

4,500-year-old cemetery unearthed in Egypt

By T.K. Randall
May 6, 2019 ·  0 comments

The cemetery is not far from the Giza Pyramids. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0 Jerzy Strzelecki The site, which was unveiled by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities on Saturday, is home to several tombs and burials and is thought to date back 4,500 years to Egypt's Fifth Dynasty.

The two sarcophagi, which were found in one of the cemetery's oldest tombs, contain the remains of two individuals named 'Behnui-Ka' and 'Nwi'.

According to hieroglyphic inscriptions on the sarcophagi, Behnui-Ka was a priest and judge who had been known by a number of titles including 'the purifier of kings: Khafre, Userkaf and Niuserre.'Nwi, by contrast, was known as 'chief of the great state' and 'the overseer of the new settlements'.

The cemetery, which was found near to the place where some of the original pyramid builders were buried, has also been found to contain a number of artefacts including masks and a limestone statue that archaeologists believe could be a depiction of either Behnui-Ka or Nwi.

Whoever these two individuals were, they clearly held important positions when they were alive.


Source: Live Science | Comments (0)

Tags: Egypt