A team of archaeologists in Egypt has discovered the 4,000-year-old tomb of a famous royal physician who was likely a poison expert. The remains were discovered in Saqqara, the site of the ancient city of Memphis, about 25 miles southwest of Cairo. Although there is evidence that looters plundered the tomb, the walls were found intact and well decorated.
Carvings on the wall of the tomb at Saqarra in Egypt. CREDIT: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
“The tomb is decorated with beautiful carvings and vibrant artwork, including a beautifully painted false door and scenes of funerary sacrifices,” Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a translated Facebook post.
From these elaborate decorations on the sarcophagus, the team from Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities discovered that the remains belong to the royal physician from the ancient state of Saqarra named Teti Neb Fu. He served during the reign of King Pepi II, who became king during the Sixth Dynasty of ancient Egypt, between approximately 2305 and 2118 BCE. During the reign of Pepi II, Teti Neb Fu held several prestigious titles, including chief physician of the palace, chief dentist, and director of medicinal plants. He was also a priest and a ‘magician’ of the goddess Serket. Since Serket is the goddess of venomous creatures, scientists believe that Teti Neb Fu was an expert in treating venomous bites or stings.
A row of hieroglyphs in the tomb of Teti Neb Fu. CREDIT: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
Excavations in this part of Saqarra began in 2022 and have all found kings from Egypt’s First Dynasty and the Apis bull, the physical incarnation of the god Ptah. The graves of King PepiII’s other employees have also been uncovered near him and his wives. They also found a stone box engraved with hieroglyphs with the name and titles of the cemetery’s owner.
Despite signs of looting, the tomb’s walls remain intact. CREDIT: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Muhammad Ismail Khaled emphasized that discovery is important because it reveals new aspects of daily life during the Old State era. It also shows how well both magic and medicine were revered at the time, as Teti Neb Fu had such an elaborate funeral. Ancient Egyptians are known to have tried to treat brain cancer, diagnose diabetes, use alligator dung for birth control, and may have been aware that some sitting positions could lead to bone damage. Over 3,000 years, ancient Egyptian physicians also learned much about the human cardiovascular system, early dentistry, and worked on treatments for depression and dementia. Because they were masters at embalming their dead, the ancient Egyptians also had a good understanding of chemistry.
The practice of magic was also widely used in ancient Egypt. According to the Brooklyn Museum, it was written that “Egypt was the mother of magicians” in the third century B.C. There is also evidence of this in the Hebrew Bible, when Pharaoh is attended by magicians who compete with Moses and Aaron in performing miracles such as turning their staffs into serpents. The ancient Egyptians also believed that the manipulation of written words, images, speech and rituals could influence the world.
