THE tomb of a priest who served under an Egyptian pharaoh has been found outside the Egyptian capital of Cairo, antiquities officials said on Tuesday. The tomb in Abu Sir, Giza belongs to a priest named “son of Amon” who led the worship of Ptah, a deity of Memphis viewed as creator of the universe and god of artisans, Egyptian officials told the state-run news agency Mena. It contains engravings and inscriptions dating back to the New Kingdom, from 1580-1085 BC, according to Gaballah Ali Gaballah, the secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities. But it was not clear which pharaoh he served. Its discovery by archeologists working for the council proves that a necropolis for those who served under the New Kingdom exists in Abu Sir, as in the nearby necropolis at Saqqara, said Gaballah. Saqqara, where there are several pyramids, was the burial ground for the rulers of nearby Memphis, one of the capitals of ancient Egypt. – AFP
Tuesday July 3, 2001