2007-05-04 10:06
Royal tomb still waiting to be discovered
Last year, a team of Polish archaeologists from the Mediterranean Archaeology Department at the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN), lead by Prof.Karol Myśliwiec, discovered a rock ramp, near Pharoah Djoser’s Pyramid in Saqqara, south of Cairo, which turned out to be a false entrance to the tomb built to fool thieves.
Prof. Myśliwiec has no doubt that a tomb of a very important personage (dating back to 2650-2900 BC) is hidden somewhere on the site. Building false entrances was common practice, while the monumental proportions of the entrance and ramp as well as the fact that even 300 years later it served as a place for holding offerings indicates the importance of the person in question.
The fact that a platform built of dried brick, presumably erected by one of the sons of Ramses II on the site, is further confirmation of the importance of the person.
In the coming digs, Prof. Mysliwiec not only wants to continue searching for the real entrance to the tomb, but also wants to explore countless grave-shafts discovered during this year’s digs. With his team, he plans to explore two shafts found inside the tomb of Ni-anch-Nefertum, the priest at the pyramids of Unis and Teti. They most probably belonged to his wife and eldest son. Moreover, as their original floors are intact, it appears they were never subject to theft – a unique find in itself.
The Polish archaeological mission arrived in Saqqara in 1987. After a nine-year break, it has been there ever since. Prof. Myśliwiec highly rates the cooperation between his team and the Egyptian Ancient Service. He believes this is due to the specifics of the Polish school of Mediterranean Archaeology set up by Prof. K. Michałowski, the aim of which is to above all preserve the artefacts, unlike other missions which seek merely to discover and publice their finds. As a result, Poles have access to sites which have been closed to foreign missions for many years.
In 1997 the team discovered the tomb of Vizier Merefnebef, the state’s administrator during the rule of Pharaoh Teti.
In October 2005, Prof. Myśliwiec received the “Polish Nobel” – a prize from the Foundation for the Development of Polish Science. He was awarded for the discovery of Merefnebef’s tomb and his book titled “The Tomb of Merefnebef”.
Myśliwiec noted that the prize is a token of recognition not just of his own work but, more importantly, of the whole team working in Egypt, which is the co-author of his book, and of his colleagues from the Mediterranean Archaeology Department at PAN.
Bogusława Szumiec-Presch, trans. ajfb/ajb
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