Archaeologists have discovered a tomb that would have been underneath a 23-foot high pyramid at the site of an ancient cemetery in Egypt.
The tomb, at the excavation site of Abydos, dates back to 3,300 years ago and would have been invisible underneath the pyramid, which is now gone, Live Science reported Sunday.
The pyramid "probably would have had a small mortuary chapel inside of it that may have held a statue or a stela giving the names and titles of the individuals buried underneath," Kevin Cahail from the University of Pennsylvania, who led the excavation, told Live Science.
All that is left of the pyramid are short, thick walls at the entrance to the tomb that would have been the pyramid's base.
There were no mummies found in the tomb, most likely a result of the area being robbed at least twice thousands of years ago. The only indication of a mummy was a red, sandstone sarcophagus that was found in one of the sealed chambers, Live Science reported.
The sarcophagus, with depictions of Egyptian gods and inscriptions from the Book of the Dead, was made for a scribe named Horemheb whose family probably had military ties.
But archaeologists did find human remains at the site, including the skeletons of three to four men, 10 to 12 women and two children, Live Science reported.
Cahail said the multiple female skeletal remains could be an indication of polygamy, or having more than one wife. The practice was common among royalty, however it is not known if a scribe like Horemheb would have had multiple wives too, Live Science reported.
Or the tomb could have been used by another family without permission, Cahail said.
"You're left with the question, who are all these people?" Cahail told Live Science.
Cahail will present the excavation results this weekend in Portland, Oregon at a meeting for the American Research Center in Egypt, Live Science reported.
