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Luxor, the modern-day Egyptian city located on the ancient site of Thebes, is renowned for its rich archaeological heritage. Until recently, two neglected tombs in the Dra' Abu el-Naga necropolis, a significant non-royal burial ground, had not been thoroughly explored. According to National Geographic, experts have now completed excavations at these sites, revealing a 3500-year-old mummy, along with elaborate funerary artifacts and vibrant murals.
During the excavation of one of the two tombs, Kampp 150, archaeologists uncovered linen-wrapped remains that Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities believes may belong to either "Djehuty Mes, whose name is engraved on one of the tomb's walls... [or] the scribe Maati, as his and his wife Mehi’s names were inscribed on 50 funerary cones found in the tomb’s chamber."
In addition to the mummy, the excavation revealed wooden statues, masks, clay pots, a collection of approximately 450 figurines, and around 100 funerary cones—mud conical objects often placed outside a tomb’s entrance, potentially used as identification markers or offerings—within Kampp 150.
The Associated Press reported that the second tomb, Kampp 161, is believed to be around 3400 years old, making it about a century younger than its neighboring tomb. Its design shares similarities with other tombs from the reigns of Amenhotep II and Thutmose IV.
Inside Kampp 161, archaeologists uncovered wooden funerary masks, a beautifully adorned coffin, broken pieces of furniture, and a mural depicting a celebration or gathering where the tomb’s unidentified inhabitant and his wife are seen receiving ritual offerings.
In the 1990s, German scholar Friederike Kampp-Seyfried surveyed and cataloged both tombs, assigning them their names. However, she did not fully excavate or enter either of them.
On Saturday, December 9, officials marked the rediscovery of the tombs with a public announcement of the archaeological discoveries. They hope that such finds will attract foreign tourists, as Egypt’s tourism sector has been negatively affected by recent political unrest.
“It’s truly an exceptional day,” said Khaled al-Anani, Egypt's antiquities minister, in a statement. “The 18th dynasty private tombs were already known. But it’s the first time anyone has ever entered them.”
Take a look at some photos of the newly uncovered relics below.
Mustafa al-Waziri, director general of Luxor's Antiquities, gestures toward an ancient Egyptian mural found in the 'Kampp 161' tomb at the Draa Abul Naga necropolis on the west Nile bank of Luxor, approximately 400 miles south of Cairo, on December 9, 2017. | STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images
An Egyptian archaeological technician restores artifacts found at the 'Kampp 161' tomb at the Draa Abul Naga necropolis, situated on the west Nile bank in Luxor, about 400 miles south of Cairo, on December 9, 2017. | STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images
STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images
A photograph taken on December 9, 2017, shows ancient Egyptian wooden funerary masks and small statuettes found in the newly discovered 'Kampp 150' tomb at the Draa Abul Naga necropolis on the west Nile bank of Luxor, about 400 miles south of Cairo. | STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images
