A remarkable painted tomb

An ornately decorated mastaba has been discovered in the cemetery at Dahshur, the southernmost of the necropolises associated with Memphis, an ancient Egyptian capital. The tomb was discovered during recent excavations by the German Archaeological Institute (DAI), Cairo, which has been carrying out research at the site for several decades. An inscription on a large false door reveals that the mastaba belonged to Seneb-nebef, an administrator in the palace district, and his wife Idut, who was a priestess of Hathor. The rectangular 8m by 12m structure comprises a long corridor leading to a cult chamber, with seven burial shafts and one more containing ceramics and other funerary objects. Th