An archaeological mission from the Czech Institute of Egyptology at Charles University’s Faculty of Arts has successfully unearthed the tomb of a royal scribe dating back to the Late Period (6th-5th centuries BC) in the Abusir Necropolis in Giza. Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, revealed that evidence supporting the tomb’s existence was first found in May in the cemetery for high-ranking officials and military commanders from the 26th and 27th Dynasties. “These shaft tombs represent a type of tomb specific to this era and were created by the ancient Egyptian elites in imitation of the tomb of King Djoser, the founder of the famous Old Kingdom of the pyramid-building era of the 3rd millennium BC,” he stated. Miroslav Verner, the mission’s director, pointed out that the tomb’s upper part was destroyed in antiquity, but the burial chamber 14 meters underground was still intact. Adorned with elaborate texts and scenes, the burial chamber is intricately decorated. The northern wall specifically features a lengthy sequence of spells to ward off snake bites. “Interestingly, the snakes mentioned in them were, on the one hand, considered dangerous, but on…
Czech Mission in Egypt Unearths the Tomb of a Late-Period Royal Scribe
November 12, 2023
