New Archeological Find at Saqqara
The Egyptian government announced in early February 2009 a new discovery of 30 mummies and at least one unopened sarcophagus 11 metres below ground level, in a 4300-year-old burial chamber in the well-known and very picked-over Saqqara, the necropolis for nearby Memphis and 35 kilometres south of Cairo. This area has been the site of over 35 years of intensive excavation by university teams from all over the world.
The chamber was uncovered on the western side of one of the oldest large stone structures in the world, known as the Step Pyramid. The chamber is believed to date from about 2650 BC, the Old Kingdom or perhaps the later Fifth Dynasty which ruled from 2494 BC to 2345 BC. Tests will be carried out to confirm the dating.
The remains are reported to be from different eras, from old (640 BC) to very old (2600 BC). The unopened sarcophagus is one of the oldest of the find, and is made of limestone and sealed with plaster. Another made of wood was also found, with the owners name engraved on it.
Egyptian archeologists will open the sarcophagus in the coming weeks, and they are hoping to find untouched amulets amid the beautiful artwork. They admit however that it is likely that ancient grave robbers will have gotten there first.
What is the essential difference between grave robbers and official archeologists, when they are both opening ancient tombs and taking what they want for their own purposes?
The objectives of such scientific endeavours, as vetted and permitted by the Egyptian government, are to locate the lost tombs and restore the monuments to their former condition, to find and investigate wall reliefs, paintings and sculptures, to identify tomb fragments, and finally to shed light on the life and times of the tomb owners, as well as on funerary ritual, art and architecture of the various Egyptian eras encountered. It is systemically conducted to high standards, to add to the sum of human knowledge about ancient civilisations.
REV THE HON DR GORDON MOYES AC MLC