An Egyptian archaeological mission has unearthed three tombs, including one that was shared by two priests over 4,400 years ago, a few kilometers south of the three Great Pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. The site on the southeastern side of Giza plateau contains tombs and burial shafts from various periods, but the oldest is a limestone family tomb from the fifth dynasty (around 2500 BC), the ministry said.
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"At first we thought we were going to find tombs from the late period, but we found a tomb of the fifth dynasty of Ancient Egypt. We are talking about a 4,400-year-old tomb," the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and director of the Egyptian Archaeological Mission team Mostafa Waziri told Efe news.
Wooden tombs painted in various colors and limestone statues were among the treasures found in the 4 500-year-old burial ground. The oldest artifact discovered is a limestone family tomb from the fifth dynasty (around 2 5000 BC), said authorities. But perhaps the most prized object is a limestone statue of the tomb's owner, his wife, and son.
The three tombs were showcased to dozens of journalists after a press conference attended by Egypt’s Minister of Antiquities, Khaled al-Enani, at the Giza Plateau.
"The sarcophagi are in perfect condition because they were well-painted, well-colored and well-decorated. We will exhibit them at our Egyptian museums like the ones in Sharm al-Sheikh and Hurghada," Waziri said after visiting the tomb. Renowned Egyptologist Zahi Hawas, who attended the presentation of the tombs, told Efe news that he was "very happy" because the engravings and the statues could date the tomb back to the 26th Dynasty (664-525 BC), the last one that ruled Egypt before the Persian invasion.
