The ancient grave was found buried in a cemetery in Assiut, Egypt, about 400 kilometers south of Cairo
Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities/facebook
The Egyptian-German Archaeological Mission discovered the burial chamber of a lady named Idi
The ‘extraordinary’ grave of a high-ranking Egyptian woman has been found 4,000 years after her death.
On October 2, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced on Facebook that the grave of the daughter of the longtime governor of the Assiut region had been discovered in a cemetery on the western mountain of Assiut, about 400 kilometers south of Cairo.
The woman, named ‘Idi’, was found buried in a pair of highly decorated coffins stacked together, police said. Smithsonian Magazine and the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. She lived during the Egyptian Middle Kingdom (2030 to 1640 BCE) and died around the age of 40, according to Living Science.
“Finding two intact coffins from the Middle Kingdom is extraordinary,” said UCLA Egyptologist Kathlyn Cooney Living Science.
The hieroglyphics on the coffins also refer to Idi as the “lady of the house,” Wolfram Grajetzki of University College London added to the outlet.
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Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities/facebook
The Egyptian-German Archaeological Mission discovered Idi’s tomb
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In their Facebook post, Egyptian authorities stated that Idi was the only daughter of the governor of the Assiut region “during the reign of King Snosert I, known as ‘Jfay-Habi.’ ”
It added that the governor was “one of the most important rulers of the territories in ancient Egypt” and that the father and daughter were buried in “the largest non-royal cemetery in Egypt at that time.”
“The preliminary examination of the woman’s skull and bone remains revealed that she had died at a young age before the age of 40 and had a congenital defect of the foot,” the statement on Facebook said.
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Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities/facebook
Idi’s grave was found 4,000 years after her death
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According to Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), the mission also found that Idi’s burial chamber was “about 15 meters deep on the north side, in which two coffins, one inside the other, completely inside and engraved on the outside with texts that tell the journey of the arrival.
While the small chest was 8 feet long, the large chest was 8 feet long. It was also discovered that “in ancient times” thieves entered the room and tore and removed Idi’s mummy.
Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities/facebook
The grave of Governor Jfay-Habi’s only daughter
“Clean-up efforts and scientific studies of bones will provide more and more information about this governor and his daughter, and the historical era in which they lived,” the statement concluded.
“Mr. Sharif Fathi, the Minister of Tourism and Archaeology, appreciated the efforts of the Egyptian archaeological missions to reveal more secrets of the history of ancient Egypt, emphasizing that the ministry will provide full support to these missions and contribute in the best way the fulfillment of their work. ”, write the Ministries of Tourism and Antiquities.
