Egyptian archaeologists have uncovered the tomb of a purification priest of the Amun temple in Luxor, along with 10 wooden coffins hidden inside a nearby burial shaft. The finds emerged during the eighth excavation season at Dra Abu el-Naga on the city’s West Bank.
The Egyptian mission, working under the Supreme Council of Antiquities, began its current season in November 2025. The team focused on the southeastern section of tomb TT255, known as the tomb of “Roy,” an area buried under debris left behind by other excavation teams more than 150 years ago.
The 10 wooden coffins turned up inside a burial shaft in the courtyard of a tomb belonging to “Baki.” The coffins were in good condition and carried painted scenes and inscriptions.
Four coffins date to the 18th Dynasty, including one belonging to a temple singer of Amun named “Merit.” A fifth, from the Ramesside period, belonged to “Padi-Amun,” a priest at the Amun temple. The rest date to the Late Period.
10 coffins from three eras found in a single burial shaft
Researchers believe the shaft served as a cache. The coffins were moved there from their original burial sites to protect them, most likely because the mummies inside were in poor condition.
Excavators also revealed the tomb of “Aa-shafy-nekhtu,” a purification priest of the Amun temple in Luxor.
It sits in the southern corner of Baki’s courtyard and includes a small courtyard, a rectangular shaft, and a decorated entrance with offering scenes and funerary texts.
A rectangular hall inside leads to the burial chamber. Inscriptions name his father, “Padi-Amun,” who held the same priestly title. His two wives, “Isis” and “Ta-kaft,” both carried the title of singer at the Amun temple.
Amun temple priest’s tomb in Luxor names the family for the first time
Archaeologists also found a sandstone pyramid inside a small tomb labeled DP91. It bears the name “Benji” along with the title “Scribe and Noble.” His original tomb has not been located yet.
Mohammed Abd El-Badeea, head of Egyptian Antiquities at the Supreme Council, said the find suggests his burial site may be nearby, and that a mud brick pyramid once stood above the spot before it collapsed over time.
In the deeper debris layers south of Baki’s tomb, the team recovered more than 30 mummified cats, both wild and domestic, wrapped in linen and tied with linen strips.
Researchers date the cache to the Ptolemaic period, when animal mummies served as symbolic offerings before being collected and buried in small pits after religious ceremonies.
Abd El-Ghaffar Wagdy, director general of Luxor antiquities, said all tomb owners discovered this season were previously unrecorded in any known historical sources. The inscriptions also documented new official titles and roles appearing in the historical record for the first time.
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