Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology have recently unearthed a pharaoh's tomb never seen before.
The tomb, decorated with vibrant and detailed pictures, belongs to an unknown pharaoh who became King almost 3,600 years ago. The discovery of the tomb, which is located in the Abydos area in the Egyptian desert, may shed light on the Abydos Dynasty- a period in history which researchers have little data about.
The discoverer of the tomb, Josef Wegner, found out that unlike looted tombs, this newly-discovered tomb still has its pictures and writings intact and unaltered. According to CNN, the pharaoh's name is Woseribre Senebkay, which translates to "King of Upper and Lower Egypt." Wegner works with the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities.
"It's exciting to find not just the tomb of one previously unknown pharaoh, but the necropolis of an entire forgotten dynasty," Wegner said in a press release from Penn Museum.
When Wegner found the tomb, he saw that the tomb raiders had taken all the gold and other valuables, leaving the pharaoh's mummy scattered around the tomb. The researchers then collected the mummy's pieces and reassembled the body. They also found the pharaoh's funeral mask. After reassembling the mummy, the team discovered that the pharaoh stood 5 feet, 9 inches tall and probably died during his mid-40s.
Wegner theorizes that the discovery of the tomb may lead to more evidence to learn more about the undocumented period of Egyptian history. According to experts, the tomb is a proof that a middle kingdom existed when the north and south kingdoms along the Nile split and became rivals.
"Continued work in the royal tombs of the Abydos Dynasty promises to shed new light on the political history and society of an important but poorly understood era of Ancient Egypt," Wegner said to CNN.
