Tomb of Amun Temple Priest and 10 Hidden Coffins Discovered in Luxor, Egypt

Small mudbrick pyramids built implicit tombs. Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

Egyptian archaeologists person uncovered the tomb of a purification clergyman of the Amun temple successful Luxor, on with 10 woody coffins hidden wrong a adjacent burial shaft. The finds emerged during the eighth excavation play astatine Dra Abu el-Naga connected the city’s West Bank.

The Egyptian mission, moving nether the Supreme Council of Antiquities, began its existent play successful November 2025. The squad focused connected the southeastern conception of tomb TT255, known arsenic the tomb of “Roy,” an country buried nether debris near down by different excavation teams much than 150 years ago.

The 10 woody coffins turned up wrong a burial shaft successful the courtyard of a tomb belonging to “Baki.” The coffins were successful bully information and carried painted scenes and inscriptions.

Four coffins day to the 18th Dynasty, including 1 belonging to a temple vocalist of Amun named “Merit.” A fifth, from the Ramesside period, belonged to “Padi-Amun,” a clergyman astatine the Amun temple. The remainder day to the Late Period.

10 coffins from 3 eras recovered successful a azygous burial shaft

Researchers judge the shaft served arsenic a cache. The coffins were moved determination from their archetypal burial sites to support them, astir apt due to the fact that the mummies wrong were successful mediocre condition.

Excavators besides revealed the tomb of “Aa-shafy-nekhtu,” a purification clergyman of the Amun temple successful Luxor.

It sits successful the confederate country of Baki’s courtyard and includes a tiny courtyard, a rectangular shaft, and a decorated entranceway with offering scenes and funerary texts.

A rectangular hallway wrong leads to the burial chamber. Inscriptions sanction his father, “Padi-Amun,” who held the aforesaid priestly title. His 2 wives, “Isis” and “Ta-kaft,” some carried the rubric of vocalist astatine the Amun temple.

Amun temple priest’s tomb successful Luxor names the household for the archetypal time

Archaeologists besides recovered a sandstone pyramid wrong a tiny tomb labeled DP91. It bears the sanction “Benji” on with the rubric “Scribe and Noble.” His archetypal tomb has not been located yet.

Mohammed Abd El-Badeea, caput of Egyptian Antiquities astatine the Supreme Council, said the find suggests his burial tract whitethorn beryllium nearby, and that a mud ceramic pyramid erstwhile stood supra the spot earlier it collapsed implicit time.

In the deeper debris layers southbound of Baki’s tomb, the squad recovered much than 30 mummified cats, some chaotic and domestic, wrapped successful linen and tied with linen strips.

Researchers day the cache to the Ptolemaic period, erstwhile carnal mummies served arsenic symbolic offerings earlier being collected and buried successful tiny pits aft spiritual ceremonies.

Abd El-Ghaffar Wagdy, manager wide of Luxor antiquities, said each tomb owners discovered this play were antecedently unrecorded successful immoderate known humanities sources. The inscriptions besides documented caller authoritative titles and roles appearing successful the humanities grounds for the archetypal time.