An ‘extraordinary’ burial chamber containing the remains of an ancient Egyptian priestess has been unearthed after nearly 4,000 years.
Idy, the daughter of a wealthy governor who lived around 1880 BC, was found in a coffin within another coffin in a tomb in the city of Asyut, 200 miles south of Cairo.
Described as ‘some of the most amazing coffins ever found’, they’re covered with text and illustrations ‘describing the journey of the deceased in the afterlife’.
Following her death, Idy’s internal organs – her liver, spleen, lungs and intestines – were removed and place into jars.
Idy’s body was then mummified – a process of preserving the body after death by deliberately drying or embalming the flesh.
Preliminary study of her bones indicate that she died before the age of 40 after suffering from a congenital foot defect.
She was also found with grave goods including a dagger and wooden figurines, which may have been intended for her use in the afterlife.
Professor Jochem Kahl, an archeologist at Freie Universität Berlin who led the discovery, called it ‘both aesthetically and scientifically extraordinary’.
Idy’s ‘beautifully-decorated’ coffins are among the most impressive finds in the burial chamber
Idy – depicted in this engraving – was the only daughter of Djefai-Hapi I, a regional Egyptian governor who was worshiped in antiquity
Excavations took place between August 18 and September 17 this year.
‘The uncovering of this shaft began in 2022, took three excavation campaigns and has now ended with a sensational discovery – the burial of Idy in two nested wooden coffins with numerous grave goods,’ Professor Kahl said.
Idy was the only daughter of Djefai-Hapi I, a regional Egyptian governor who was worshiped in antiquity.
He was ‘one of the most important rulers of the territories in ancient Egypt’, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a Facebook statement.
Professor Kahl added: ‘Djefai-Hapi I was deified in ancient times and his tomb was an integral part of the cultural memory of ancient Egypt for more than 2000 years.’
‘Idy was a priestess of the goddess Hathor and was called “mistress of the house”, which identifies her as a woman from a wealthy family.’
While the resting place of the father had been known, this new discovery of his daughter’s remains in the same building at Asyut is unprecedented.
The tomb, dating from around 1880 BC, is impressive due to its ‘monumental’ rock architecture with rooms over 36 feet (11 metres) high carved into the rock.
Excavations took place between August 18 and September 17 this year. Pictured, Idy’s burial chamber when discovered
Pictured, a close-up of the outer coffin of Idy, showing remarkable illustrations that were made nearly 4,000 years ago
Asyut, a city in Egypt that sits comfortably along the west bank of the Nile river, was a prosperous regional capital and port city
Idy had been placed in a coffin inside a coffin and then sealed in a side chamber in a vertical shaft about 45 feet deep that had been dug in the tomb of her father.
Her coffins, weighing around 200-300 kg each, are above average in size with a length of 8.59 feet (2.62 metres) and 6.66 feet (2.03 metres).
Professor Kahl said both coffins seem to be made out of ‘foreign wood’, meaning wood sourced from outside of Egypt.
He said they are both ‘completely decorated with wonderful images and texts’ describing the journey of the deceased in the afterlife.
Their study will allow ‘new and far-reaching statements to be made about the position of women and the transfer of knowledge in ancient Egypt’.
While Idy’s resting place has until now been unnoticed by researchers, it’s thought the chamber was ransacked by thieves thousands of years ago.
Her remains were robbed of all jewelry and metal objects in the search for treasures, but other grave goods seem to have been of no interest to the ancient looters.
‘Remnants of Idy’s garment and her bones, which were completely torn to shreds by ancient looters, provide information about her person,’ added Professor Kahl.
Idy was found in two nested wooden coffins with numerous grave goods, including wooden figurines. Pictured, a female figure made of wood
According to an initial visual inspection of the bones, Idy was probably around 40 years old and suffered from a foot problem, he added.
Somewhat gruesomely, a box of jars were also found containing Idy’s internal organs removed during mummification – liver, spleen, lungs and intestines.
This was customary during mummification, as the ancient Egyptians learned the internal organs would decay quickly.
Typically, mummification in ancient Egypt then involved desiccating the body with a mixture of salts and then wrapping it in cloth soaked in a balm of plant extracts, oils, and resins.
Older mummies are believed to have been naturally preserved by burying them in dry desert sand and were not chemically treated.
Professor Kahl said further study of the discovered remains will continue in an effort to shed more light on the lives of the governor and his daughter.
‘After an initial conservational consolidation of the wooden objects in the burial chamber and the subsequent laborious recovery from the narrow, 14-metre deep shaft, the finds will be handed over to the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism,’ he added.
