ORNATE RELICS DISCOVERED IN TOMB OF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN PRIESTESS

Twenty years in the making, archaeologists have finally made an exciting discovery in Egypt. A previously unreachable area of the Asyut necropolis was discovered to contain the burial chamber of an ancient Egyptian priestess. Researchers are learning new things about funeral customs and women in power thanks to the unusual complexity of the artefacts found there.

Two elaborately adorned coffins constructed from imported wood that fit into one another are the largest discoveries. The lengths of the two are 7.5 and 8.5 feet, respectively. The life story of Idy, the priestess who was buried here, is chronicled in the inscriptions covering both. In addition to being a priestess of the goddess Hathor, Idy was also known as the "Lady of the House," indicating her high position. In addition to these intimate details, the pictures describe how the deceased entered the afterlife. The site also revealed a chest filled with canopic jars, which contain the vital organs—liver, spleen, lungs, and intestines—that were removed during the mummification process.

In a previously unreachable area of her father Djefaihapi I's rock-cut tomb, the chamber was found behind a wall of quarry stones at the base of a 45-foot vertical shaft. His burial complex was constructed approximately 4,000 years ago, around 1880 BCE, and he was a high-ranking official and regional governor. Excavating in the shaft where Idy's chamber was discovered started just two years ago, but the site, which is along the Nile River, has been under excavation since 2003. 

The archaeologists estimate that Idy passed away from unidentified causes at the age of 40. Her titles and the elaborate burial site indicate that she was somewhat influential in the ancient Egyptian court.

According to Professor Jochem Kahl, an Egyptologist at Freie University Berlin who oversaw the study, "Idy's coffins and their decorations surpass contemporary objects through the artistry of their execution and thus seamlessly tie in with the outstanding quality of the texts and images in her father Djefai-Hapi I's tomb." He continues by describing the discovery of the burial chamber as "extraordinary, both aesthetically and scientifically."

Robbers took all of the jewellery and items made of precious metal that are frequently found in the graves of high-ranking individuals, giving the impression that the burial site had been looted thousands of years ago. Fortunately, the majority of the burial items, including food offerings, a dagger, pharaonic insignia, and wooden figurines, were still present. In the chamber, archaeologists also discovered pieces of her clothing and bones.

Professor Kahl oversaw the study, which was conducted in collaboration with the Polish Academy of Sciences, Kanazawa University in Japan, and Sohag University in Egypt. The artefacts were given to the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism following some preliminary conservation.