Archaeologists hail Hekashepes, oldest and ‘most complete’ mummy yet found

Cairo: Egyptologists have uncovered a Pharaonic tomb near the capital Cairo containing what may be the oldest and “most complete” mummy yet to be discovered in the country.

The 4300-year-old mummy was found at the bottom of a 15-metre shaft in a recently uncovered group of fifth and sixth dynasty tombs, spanning from roughly 2500-2100 BC, near the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, Zahi Hawass, director of the team, said.

The mummy, of a man named Hekashepes, was in a limestone sarcophagus that had been sealed in mortar.

An Egyptian archeologist speaks at a recently discovered tomb dated to the Old Kingdom, 2700–2200 BC, at the site of the Step Pyramid.Credit:AP

“This mummy may be the oldest and most complete mummy found in Egypt to date,” Hawass, a former minister of antiquities, said.

Among other tombs found was one belonging to Khnumdjedef, an inspector of officials, a supervisor of nobles and a priest during the reign of Unas, the last pharaoh of the fifth dynasty. It was decorated with scenes of daily life.

Another tomb belonged to Meri, “keeper of the secrets and assistant to the great leader of the palace”.

Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass, the director of the Egyptian excavation team, speaks during a press conference at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, near Cairo.Credit:AP

Numerous statues were found among the tombs, including one representing a man and his wife and several servants, the statement said.

The artefacts, unearthed during a year-long excavation, were found beneath an ancient stone enclosure.

“I put my head inside to see what was inside the sarcophagus: A beautiful mummy of a man completely covered in layers of gold,” Hawass said.

The Saqqara site is part of a sprawling necropolis at Egypt’s ancient capital of Memphis that includes the famed Giza Pyramids as well as smaller pyramids at Abu Sir, Dahshur and Abu Ruwaysh. The ruins of Memphis were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in the 1970s.

The unveiling comes amid a flurry of new discoveries announced by Egyptian authorities over the past week. Near the southern city of Luxor, authorities said they found dozens of burial sites from the New Kingdom era, dating from 1800 BC to 1600 BC Discovered nearby were the ruins of an ancient Roman city, it said.

The layers of an Egyptian mummy dating to 330 BC are pictured using CT (computed tomography). A group of scientists from Cairo University have revealed previously unknown details about the mummified teenage boy.Credit:Sahar Saleem/AP

In a separate announcement earlier this week, a group of scientists from Cairo University revealed previously unknown details about a mummified teenage boy dating to about 300 BC. By using CT scans, scientists were able to shed new light on the boy’s high social status by affirming the intricate details of the amulets inserted within his mummified body and the type of burial he received.

Egypt often publicly touts its ancient discoveries to attract more tourists, a significant source of foreign currency for the cash-strapped North African country. The sector suffered a long downturn after the political turmoil and violence that followed a 2011 uprising.

The tourist industry was also hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and is currently suffering from the fallout from the war in Ukraine. Both Russia and Ukraine formerly comprised a large source of tourists visiting Egypt.

Reuters, AP

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