Cairo University unearths tomb of Ramses II’s royal treasurer at Saqqara
Archaeologists working in the Saqqara necropolis, in the Giza governorate of Egypt, have announced what they believe is a major discovery.
A Cairo University mission unearthed the tomb of Ptah-MWiah, a high-ranking ancient Egyptian official and head of the treasury during the reign of King Ramses II.
Ramses II ruled from 1279BC to 1213BC.
“What makes this tomb unique is the area it was found in,” said Dr Ola El Aguizy, who led the mission.
“A number of very important military leaders, statesmen and aristocrats were buried there, most of whom date back to the reign of Ramses II,” she told The National.
Dr El Aguizy said that Horemheb, the military leader who became pharaoh and ushered in the 19th dynasty of ancient Egypt from 1292BC to 1189BC, was buried nearby.
The dig was overseen by Dr Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities.
He said that the discovery of Ptah-M-Wiah’s tomb is particularly significant because of the high position he held in Ramses II’s Cabinet.
Apart from being the royal treasurer, he also served as royal scribe, chief supervisor of livestock and the government’s main administrator of divine offerings at Ramses II’s temple in Thebes, now modern-day Luxor.
Dr El Aguizy said Ptah-M-Wiah’s roles were very prestigious.
“We know through the inscriptions that he headed the entire kingdom’s livestock, which is a very distinguished role,” she said.
“Additionally, he oversaw all the ritual sacrifices at the temples in Thebes, which was the religious centre of the kingdom at the time.
“So his influence was present in both the upper and lower kingdoms, which is no small feat,” Dr El Aguizy said.
Teams of researchers from Cairo University have been excavating ancient Egypt’s treasures for more than a century.
Their latest discovery fitted in well with the grandeur of discoveries in the area.
“The tomb itself is much like others we have found in the area before, most of which date back to the Ramesside era of the New Kingdom,” Dr El Aguizy said.
The Ramesside period – which spanned the 19th and 20th dynasties, between 1292BC and 1075BC – is renowned for its prosperity, as shown by the grandeur of its archaeological treasures.
Ptah-M-Wiah’s tomb, like most other Ramesside-era tombs, is made up of a grand entrance adorned with an edifice depicting scenes from its occupant’s life, and features two inner chambers.
The first chamber was usually left bare, while the second chamber would be much more ornate, featuring decorative columns flanking the entombed mummy.
The columns, known as Osirian columns after the god Osiris, are meant to connect the earth to the sky, bridging the world of the living with the afterlife, Dr El Aguizy said.
“Osirian columns are a symbol. The ancient Egyptians believed that they would grow to reach the heavens, and through this, Ra, the god of the heavens, would make contact with Osiris, the god of the underworld, and their realms would then be connected,” she said.
Also found in Ptah-M-Wiah’s tomb were a number of stone blocks, which Dr El Aguizy said were once part of the ceiling and walls of the tomb, but they had fallen down over the centuries.
This kind of wear and tear is typical of other tombs found in the Saqqara area, Dr El Aguizy said.
On one of the walls left standing is a large painting depicting a procession of people carrying offerings, which ends with a scene of a calf being slaughtered.
“We found scenes of the afterlife that were really striking – the style of Ramesside tombs is really intricate and quite beautiful,” Dr El Aguizy said.
The artefacts will be recorded and then placed back in the tomb, in their original positions, so they can be seen by visitors when it opens to tourists, Dr Waziri said.
Project leader Dr Ola El Aguizy said her team had discovered the tomb of a man who was very close to Ramses II