Mysterious Tomb of Ancient Egyptian General Discovered

Czech archaeologists recently discovered the mysterious tomb of an ancient Egyptian military commander who oversaw an army of foreign soldiers.

The secret tomb of Wahibre-mery-Neith, an Egyptian general, was found at the Abusir Necropolis in Giza, home of the famous pyramids.

The military official was head of a group of elite fighters from Asia Minor and the Aegean islands.

His tomb dates back to the 5th century BC and contained over 350 piece of precious pottery, including substances used in embalming and mummification, making it a great resource for discovering more about the fascinating process.

This is the largest ever discovery of objects and substances used in mummification in an Egyptian tomb.

Mysterious tomb of Ancient Egyptian General

The team of archaeologists from the Czech Institute of Egyptology at Charles University in Prague found the military commander’s sarcophagus, which had been damaged by looters in antiquity, and coffin which measures 7.5 feet long by 6 feet wide.

The coffin was once decorated with a stone carving of a head, but that was shattered. It also contained inscriptions from the Egyptian Book of the Dead.

Although the archaeologists did find his coffin along with over four hundred wooden figures created to be his slaves in the afterlife, religious texts, and countless precious objects, they did not locate the Ancient Egyptian general’s own mummy in his tomb.

Experts believe that his death was unexpected or sudden, as his tomb was unfinished when he was buried.

Ancient Greek treasures found in shipwreck off Egypt

A shipwreck with ancient Greek treasures dating back to the Ptolemaic era of Egypt was discovered in the waters off Alexandria.

The announcement was made by the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM), led by researcher Franck Goddio.

Located in the Bay of Abou Qir in the sunken, lost ancient city of Heracleion, or Thonis, near Alexandria, the shipwreck is from a time when the Greek civilization enjoyed great influence in Egypt in the waning days of the pharaohs.

Goddio states in a press release that the ship sank after being hit by huge blocks from the temple of Amun, which was totally destroyed during the cataclysmic event that occurred in the second century BC.

The ship had been moored at a wharf in the canal that flowed along the south face of the temple when the disaster occurred. The fallen blocks actually protected this ancient Greek shipwreck by pinning it to the bottom of the deep canal, which was then filled with clay and the debris of the sanctuary. The shipwreck lies under five meters (15 feet) of hard clay, mingled with the remains of the temple.