Egypt uncovers ancient tombs revealing early funerary architecture

Egyptian archaeologists have uncovered two Early Dynastic tombs and a number of burials dating from the Predynastic and Late periods at Gabal Al Tair archaeological site in Minya governorate, a discovery that could reshape understanding of the evolution of ancient Egyptian funerary architecture.

The Supreme Council of Antiquities said preliminary studies revealed striking similarities between the newly discovered tombs and the tomb of King Den at Abydos, underscoring the archaeological significance of the site.

One of the tombs features a rare architectural design with walls that gradually decrease in thickness from the base upward, a construction method that experts believe may represent an early stage in the engineering concepts that later led to the development of step pyramids and true pyramids.

The mission also uncovered Predynastic burials in a crouched position accompanied by black-topped pottery dating to the Naqada II and III periods, as well as individual and collective burials from the Late Period, confirming the site's continued use as a cemetery over successive historic eras.

WAM