Archeologists recently uncovered a new Egyptian site that might turn out to be the biggest discovery since the tomb of Tutankhamun. They found the oldest and most intact mummy ever during an excavation at a site about 20 miles away from Cairo. Dr. Zahi Hawass and his team were behind the discovery.
The Oldest Uncovered Mummy
Dr. Hawass and his team have revealed in a statement that the skeletal remains belonged to a man named Heka-Shepes. His mummy was covered in a gold leaf inside an enormous limestone sarcophagus. Similarly to Tutankhamun, Heka-Shepes wasn’t buried in a pyramid. His skeletal remains were found at the bottom of a 50-foot-deep shaft. Dr. Hawass and his team also said the sarcophagus was sealed with mortar, remaining untouched ever since ancient Egyptians placed it there more than 4,300 years ago.
What’s remarkable about the discovery is that it might be the oldest mummy uncovered on this day. But what’s equally impressive is that it remained untouched by marauders for more than four millennia.
The Team’s Other Notable Discoveries
Heka-Shepes’s mummy was discovered during an excavation of a group of Old Kingdom tombs. Those included the resting places of a high priest in the Unas pyramid complex, called Khnum-Djed-Ef, as well as “Meri,” an official in the palace. One of the uncovered tombs contained nine beautiful statues. It was a priest’s tomb who was likely called Messi, based on the writings on a false door near the statues, said the man who led the excavation.
Dr. Hawass and his team also discovered a 33-foot-deep shaft that had a collection of wooden statues. In the mummy’s shaft, archaeologists also found three statues depicting a person called Fetek and an offering table. Other notable discoveries were a number of vessels and tools of daily life, pottery, amulets, and statues depicting many of Ancient Egypt’s deities.