Spanish archaeologists have unearthed a 4,000-year-old tomb littered with human remains in the Egyptian city of Luxor, the antiquities ministry said on Monday.
Claimed to be from a time when pharaohs reunified ancient Egypt, the pharaonic tomb belonged to a leader from the 11th dynasty of Egypt, Agence France-Presse reported.
The wide surface of the tomb showed it was that of "someone from the royal family or a high-ranking statesman," Egyptian Antiquities Minister Mohamed Ibrahim said in a statement.
A square burial chamber was discovered to have a 65-foot-long (20-meter-long) hallways running underneath it, the archaeologists said.
"The dimensions are considerable, leaving no doubt that the tomb belonged to a member of the royal family or a senior courtier," according to a news release issued Monday by Jose Galan, leader of the Djehuty Project excavation.
New insights would be provided into the dynasty that ruled in Luxor, the capital of Ancient Egypt, through the discovery of the tomb, Jose Galan, heading the Spanish team, said.
"This discovery confirms the presence of many tombs from the 11th dynasty in the Deraa Abu Naga region," said Galan.
One tomb dating back to the same period was discovered in the area five years ago. It contained a red sarcophagus, a well-preserved mummy, as well as arrows and arches that are now on display in Luxor's museum, according to AFP.
"The tomb may have been used as a mass grave given the high number of human remains" discovered in it, antiquities ministry official Ali al-Asfar said on Monday, referring to the newly discovered site.
Since pottery tools and utensils from this period were discovered in the tomb, it was also used during the 17th dynasty, Asfar added.
Luxor, a city of some 500,000 people on the banks of the Nile in southern Egypt, is an open-air museum of intricate temples and pharaonic tombs.
Pictures of the tomb can be viewed here.
