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.
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".
