Archaeologists discover long-lost tomb of unknown pharaoh in Egypt

Archaeologists successful Egypt precocious uncovered a once-in-a-lifetime discovery: an chartless pharaoh's tomb, dating backmost 3,600 years.

The excavation, which was conducted adjacent the Egyptian metropolis of Abydos this winter, was announced by the Penn Museum successful Philadelphia past week. The pharaoh's tomb was recovered 23 feet underground and featured a decorated entryway and mudbrick vaults.

Pictures amusement a squad of planetary archaeologists excavating the heavy tomb successful the Egyptian desert. 

Excavation person Dr. Josef Wegner, an egyptology prof astatine the University of Pennsylvania, spoke with Fox News Digital astir the discovery, which dates backmost to the Second Intermediate Period.

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"Surprisingly, we came upon a royal tomb that we had nary thought existed," Wegner said. "Excitingly, it's adding caller grounds connected what seems to beryllium the aboriginal improvement of a radical of fascinating kings that we telephone the Abydos dynasty. They are benignant of a lost, forgotten dynasty."

Penn Museum curator Dr. Josef Wegner spoke with Fox News Digital astir uncovering an chartless pharaoh's tomb. (Josef Wegner for the Penn Museum)

"There were nary quality remains remaining, determination were nary remnants of the king himself oregon his funerary equipments," helium said.

"The archetypal decoration that contained hieroglyphic texts and columns that contained his sanction had been damaged conscionable capable that the sanction is gone. But we tin spot wherever the sanction flanked the entranceway to his burial chamber."

The excavation wasn't Wegner's archetypal rodeo. In 2014, helium discovered a antithetic pharaoh's tomb: Senebkay, different Second Intermediate Period ruler who was wholly chartless successful the humanities grounds until that time.

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"Finding a caller pharaoh's tomb is that's always, ever rather an breathtaking infinitesimal successful time. So it's the 2nd clip it's happened to me, and I conjecture I shouldn't beryllium excessively greedy, but I'm hoping for much if we tin find them," Wegner said.

"He was an chartless king, and we excavated the country close astir that. And it seemed similar we could much oregon little exhausted the grounds connected this Abydos dynasty…Lo and behold, 10 years astir to the time since uncovering Senebkay, we recovered a caller tomb that's bigger than immoderate of the different ones," helium added.

The excavation was conducted adjacent the Egyptian metropolis of Abydos this winter. (Josef Wegner for the Penn Museum)

Wegner, who besides works arsenic a curator astatine the Penn Museum, described the Second Intermediate Period arsenic an "intriguing" portion of Egyptian past which spanned from astir 1650 to 1570 B.C.

"It was a play wherever Egypt was breached isolated into a benignant of rival kingdoms," the adept explained. "We deliberation determination were arsenic galore arsenic four."

"The past tomb robbers were not ever precise considerate successful what they did successful the process of tomb robbery."

"It provides the ground for the emergence and constitution of the caller Kingdom of Egypt, which is usually thought of arsenic the aureate property of the pharaohs."

Wegner characterized the limestone burial enclosure arsenic "grand," implicit with mud ceramic vaults and a "very heavy shaft entranceway system." But unfortunately, the king's sanction has not emerged yet.

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The tomb nary longer has immoderate quality remains oregon immoderate motion of the pharaoh's name, but archaeologists volition proceed investigating. (Josef Wegner for the Penn Museum)

"We were a small frustrated," Wegner laughed. "The past tomb robbers were not ever precise considerate successful what they did successful the process of tomb robbery."

"They didn't deliberation astir archaeologists successful the aboriginal that would beryllium looking for bits and pieces of evidence," helium added. 

"We've completed the afloat excavation of it and what it was, you know, was fundamentally robbed out. It seems to person been a precise richly-equipped royal tomb. So it did pull tomb robbers for that reason."

Even though the tomb was plundered, Wegner is hopeful that much artifacts volition amusement up successful the aboriginal – and that the pharaoh's sanction volition beryllium discovered.

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"There's important imaginable successful the orbit of the tomb, astir the periphery of it, determination could good beryllium objects that were discarded, remains of chromatic vessels," helium described. 

"For example, what we telephone the canopic jars that would person had the sanction of the king connected them. Those kinds of things astir apt weren't precise absorbing to tomb robbers."

Wegner hopes to observe akin sites successful the future. (Josef Wegner for the Penn Museum)

"And there's indications that determination whitethorn beryllium much of these tombs," helium added.

The adjacent signifier is to survey the terrain astir the tomb, wherever much grounds is slated to emerge.

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The latest find comes conscionable weeks aft archaeologists recovered the long-lost tomb of King Thutmose II, which marked the archetypal large royal tomb find since King Tutankhamen’s tomb was recovered successful 1922.