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A mortuary temple belonging to Queen Nearit was discovered in the ancient Egyptian cemetery of Saqqara next to the pyramid of her husband, Pharaoh Teti, who ruled Egypt from around 2323 BC to 2291 BC, a declared the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities in a declaration.
Made of stone, the temple has three mud brick warehouses on its southeast side which contained offerings made to the queen and her husband.
Near the pyramid, the team of Egyptian archaeologists also found a series of burial shafts containing the remains of people who lived during Egypt’s 18th and 19th Dynasties (1550 BC – 1186 BC). AD), the ministry said in a statement released in January. 16. These burials were probably part of a cult worshiper of Teti that formed after the death of the pharaoh. The cult appears to have been active for over a millennium, with people wanting to be buried near the Pharaoh’s pyramid. So far, the team has discovered more than 50 wooden coffins in these wells, along with a wide array of artifacts.
Related: In photos: a look inside an Egyptian mummy
Book of the dead
One of the most fascinating objects found in burial shafts is a 4-meter-long papyrus that contains chapter 17 of the “Book of the Dead,” a manuscript that the ancient Egyptians used to guide the deceased through the au- of the. . The name of the owner of the papyrus, Pwkhaef, is written on it; this same name was also found on one of the wooden coffins and on four shabti figurines intended to serve the deceased in the afterlife.
Although scientists are currently analyzing the text, other copies of Chapter 17 contain a series of questions and answers – a sort of cheat sheet for people trying to navigate the afterlife. Whether the new copy of Chapter 17 has the same question and answer format remains to be seen.
Limestone stele
Inside the burial pits, the archaeological team discovered a stele that belonged to a man named Khaptah, identified as the overseer of the Pharaoh’s military chariot, and his wife, Mwtemwia. The upper part of the stele shows the couple paying homage to Osiris, the Egyptian god of the underworld, while the lower part shows the couple sitting in chairs with six of their children in front of them. Their three daughters are shown seated and smelling lotus flowers, while their three sons are shown standing.
Archaeologists are not sure which pharaoh (s) Khaptah serves. It is possible that he served Ramses II (who reigned from 1279 BC to 1213 BC), a pharaoh known for his military campaigns which expanded The Egyptian Empire as far north as Syria. An inscription on the stele indicates that two of Khaptah’s children are named after members of the family of Ramses II. One of Khaptah’s daughters is called Nefertari (the same name as the main wife of Ramses II) and one of his sons is called Khaemweset (the same name as one of the sons of Ramses II).
Board games and mummies
Other finds in the burial shafts near the pyramid included a bronze ax, board games, statues of Osiris, and several mummies, including the mummy of a woman who appears to have suffered from familial Mediterranean fever, a genetic disease that causes recurrent fever and inflammation of the abdomen, joints and lungs.
A shrine dedicated to Anubis – the cemetery god – was also found near the burial pits, as were statues of the god.
The Egyptian team that made the find includes archaeologists from the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and the Zahi Hawass Egyptology Center at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
Originally posted on Live Science.
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