The Egyptian-German archaeological mission of the German Archaeological Institute, led by Dr. Stephan Seidlmayer, has discovered a mastaba dating back to the Old Kingdom during their work in the archaeological area of Dahshur in Egypt.
Dr. Hisham El-Leithy, Chief of the Conservation and Documentation Sector of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, emphasized the importance of this discovery, as this mastaba is part of the great necropolis of the inhabitants of Dahshur during the Old Kingdom, discovered in 2002 in collaboration with the Free University of Berlin.
Dr. El-Leithy added that the significance of the mastaba also lies in its magnificent inscriptions and scenes depicting everyday life activities such as grain threshing, boats sailing on the Nile, the market, and sacrificial offerings, something uncommon in the mastabas of Dahshur.
Dr. Stephan Seidlmayer, former director of the German Archaeological Institute and head of the mission, pointed out that the mastaba is constructed with mud bricks and belonged to a man named Sneb-neb-af and his wife Idut, dating from the end of the V Dynasty and the beginning of the VI (around 2300 BCE).
The inscriptions reveal that the owner held various positions in the royal palace as a tenant administrator (khentyu-shi), while his wife held the title of priestess of Hathor.
Seidlmayer emphasized that the mission will continue its excavations at the site in search of more secrets of this area. In the coming days, cleaning and documentation work will be carried out on the tomb and its inscriptions.
He highlighted that the mission began its work in 1976, initially focusing on the pyramids of King Sneferu of the Old Kingdom and King Amenemhat III of the Middle Kingdom.
Recently, their excavations have focused on the tombs of high officials, priests, and administrators from that period.
Among the most important discoveries of the mission are the tomb of the palace servants from the reign of Amenemhat II (circa 1880 BCE), the port and lower bridge of the Bent Pyramid, and a ceremonial garden adjacent to the valley temple.
Sources
Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt
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