The remarkable discovery was made in Saqqara, a burial site for high-ranking officials of ancient Egypt’s Old Kingdom.
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In a spellbinding discovery, a French-Swiss team archaeological team in Egypt has uncovered the tomb of a multi-talented wizard-doctor who served the pharaohs approximately 4,000 years ago.
Inscriptions on the tomb identifys its owner as "Tetinebefou", a celebrated physician during the reign of King Pepi II of the Sixth Dynasty, which spanned roughly from 2305 BC to 2118 BC.
The inscriptions suggest that Tetinebefou held a “complete series of titles”, including “chief doctor of the palace”, “priest" and "magician” of the goddess Serket.
“The tomb is adorned with stunning carvings and vibrant artwork, including a beautifully painted false door and scenes of funerary offerings,” the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a statement.
The team behind the archaeological mission, working in the southern section of Saqqara since 2022, located the tomb in a cluster of burial sites for senior statesmen and royal employees.
The tomb had been almost completely ransacked before its discovery, and no human remains were found, according to Philippe Collombert, the leader of the French-Swiss team.
As a priest-magician of Serket, the goddess associated with protection against venomous creatures, Tetinebefou would have likely specialised in treating snake and scorpion bites. Unusually, his other roles included royal dentist, a title that is rarely seen in discoveries from ancient Egypt.
Saqqara is a vast necropolis of the Egyptian capital Memphis. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site and is home to more than a dozen pyramids, including the famous Giza Pyramids, as well as smaller pyramids at Abu Sir, Dahshur, and Abu Ruwaysh.
"This incredible find adds to Saqqara's rich legacy as one of Egypt's most significant archaeological sites," says the ministry.
