Next to the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, archaeologists found a tomb of an unknown queen and hundreds of mummies, writes Live Science.
The last few years, archaeologists have excavated in Sakkar at Giza about 32 kilometers south of Cairo. Recently, they found a treasury of coffins and mummies, which possibly belonged to some of the closest military leaders and advisers to the pharaoh Tutanhomon (1333-1323 BC).
Next to this place, archaeologists also investigated the pyramid belonging to the aunt, the first king of the sixth dynasty of Egypt. They discovered a “huge limestone sarcophagus” along with “300 beautiful coffins of the period of the New Kingdom.” The discovered mummies have survived in good condition even after many centuries. According to experts, this means that at that time the mummification was already at a high level.
In addition, the researchers found a pyramid in honor of the queen, whose personality was unknown.
“Her amazing sarcophagus has a woman’s mask completely made of pure gold. We found that her name was Nate, and she had never been known in historical notes before,” said Egyptologist Zahi Havass.
A selection of sarcophagi and artifacts from excavations will be exhibited at the Great Egyptian Museum in Giza, which can be opened next year.