New Tomb Discovered in Ismailia

Interior decoration of the tomb, showing a scene from Chapter 125 of the Book of the Dead.

 

 

A new tomb was discovered by an SCA mission at Tell el-Maskhuta in the Ismailia governate. The tomb dates to the 19^th Dynasty (1315-1201 BC), is constructed of mud brick and consists of a rectangular room with a domed ceiling made of stone, and a deep square-shaped shaft. The interior is decorated with scenes depicting the owner of the tomb, whose name was Ken-Amun.

 

The newly discovered tomb, shown with the 35 Roman Period tombs nearby.

 

This is the first Ramesside tomb to be discovered in Lower Egypt. The tomb is very high quality, and is beautifully decorated and inscribed with scenes known from the Ramesside Period. In addition to this tomb, the excavation has found 35 tombs dated to the Roman Period.

 

The excavation discovered a limestone stela inscribed with hieroglyphs containing the name of the capital of the Hyksos, Avaris (Het-Waret). The stela depicts the god Set in front of a king of Dynasty 19, whose name is not written. This stela shows the relationship between the site at Tell el-Maskhuta and the Hyksos capital Avaris, located at Tell el-Daba in Sharqiya.

 

Dr. Mohamed Abdel Maqsud, the supervisor of the Department of Antiquities of Lower Egypt, said there was a large limestone sarcophagus found inside the tomb that belonged to the owner, Ken-Amun. He was the overseer of the royal records during the 19^th Dynasty. The sarcophagus contained inscriptions on its inner and outer surfaces. The tomb walls were inscribed with the titles of the deceased and the name of his wife, Isis, who was a singer of the god Atum. The tomb is decorated in sunken relief with different religious and funerary scenes; the most important scenes were one from the Book of the Dead Chapter 125, as well as one of women mourning the dead. Other important scenes include a depiction of the goddess Hathor in the shape of a cow, emerging from the Delta marshes, as well as a scene of the four sons of Horus. The scenes and titles in the tomb show that Ken-Amun was an important man, who was in charge of keeping the royal records.

 

The discovery of this tomb will provide information about the history of the Delta and the geography of the area, as well as the relationship between this area and the eastern border of Egypt. Excavations will continue at the site, and conservation and restoration work will begin at the tomb, and the tomb and its scenes will be completely documented and registered, under the supervision of Dr. Mohamed Abdel Maqsud.

 

Tell el-Maskhuta is located in the Wadi Tumilat near the eastern branch of the Nile that connects with the Suez Canal. When the Suez Canal was being constructed, many sphinx statues of Ramesses II and stelae were found. It is known that the ancient city at Tell el-Maskhuta contained a settlement in the Ramesside Period with a temple for Atum. It also contained a garrison, which stored supplies to equip the ancient Egyptian army before they went east to the border on their military campaigns.