A Spanish-Egyptian archaeological team has found in Saqqara an outstanding late Fifth Dynasty tomb with two chapels and colourful reliefs of farming and offering processions.
A Spanish-Egyptian archaeological mission, led by Spanish Egyptologist Josep Cervelló, has uncovered a "striking and beautiful" tomb dating from the late Fifth Dynasty of Egypt's Old Kingdom (2494-2345 BC) in the Saqqara necropolis, southwest of Cairo.
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The find was made during this summer's excavations, led by the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. It is an exceptional mastaba with two funerary chapels, commissioned by Yunmen, a senior official under Pharaoh Djedkare Isesi, who also ordered that his father, Iti, a lower-ranking official, be buried there.
Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities confirmed that the tomb dates from the end of the Fifth Dynasty, during the reign of Djedkare Isesi, and is located in the Mariette necropolis, north of Saqqara. According to the statement, it contains "two funerary chapels belonging to two high-ranking officials, Younmin and his father, Ity".
According to the UAB, the tomb has made it possible to identify figures of great historical, social and cultural interest. For the archaeological team, the discovery has also been a surprise because of the richness and beauty of the monument.
Among the most notable features are a high-quality architrave and funerary texts adapted to the figure and offices of their owner. The Egyptian ministry also highlights the exceptional state of preservation of the scenes and reliefs, which show "agricultural activities and processions with offerings", and notes that many of them "have retained their original colours".
The decoration also includes depictions of donkeys and other animals. According to the Egyptian authorities, the discovery "provides new and valuable data on the architecture, art and administrative life of ancient Egypt at the end of the Fifth Dynasty".
The excavation reveals daily life in the Saqqara necropolis
As well as its historical and scientific value, the mastaba stands out for its beauty. Archaeologists believe that the double tomb may reflect the social ascent of Yunmen, the son of a provincial official who rose to a senior position in the central administration and wanted to share his funerary destiny with his father.
The area has been known since the excavations carried out by Auguste Mariette in the 19th century, but it had never been studied and documented in depth. The research aimed to reconstruct the topography of Saqqara and to understand the necropolis as a living space, where ancient Egyptians brought offerings and worked continuously on the construction of funerary monuments.
The aim is to understand how the necropolis was organised and operated, from its streets and squares to the movement of people and the cult rituals. The analysis of maps and the reconstruction of the layout led the team to a previously unknown mastaba and to indications of two more nearby, which they hope to excavate in future seasons.
