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In another area of Saqqara, a joint Egyptian–Japanese mission, led by Kanazawa University, has discovered a further four Old Kingdom tombs. The two mud-brick mastabas and two rock-cut tombs date to the late Second and early Third Dynasties. One of the tombs, with a limestone sealed shaft, was discovered near the northern edge of the Saqqara plateau, indicating that the necropolis extended further north than previously thought. Artefacts discovered near to the tombs include an alabaster dish and a solid cylindrical vessel. The team discovered ten New Kingdom burials, too, highlighting that the cemetery once again became an important burial site following the expulsion of the Hyksos, when Memphis was reinstated as the capital of the early New Kingdom.
Text: Sarah Griffiths / All images: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
