Belgian archaeologists have for the first time used magnetic survey techniques to unearth the remains of an ancient Egyptian tomb complex at Deir el-Bersha in Minya, 300 kilometres south of Cairo, team leader Harco Willems said Tuesday.
Willems said his team from Belgium’s Leuven University used magnetic surveying to detect the complex, which contains three big burial shafts located six metres below ground.
He said the complex, which turned out to be larger than expected, contained several tombs, two of which were found completely intact.
The archeologists believe the tombs, dating to 2 000 BC, belonged to higher echelon officials, possibly connected with the provincial governor. Willems said some of the tombs were reused around 1 600 BC, during the period between the Middle and New Kingdoms.
The team also found a collection of tombs close to the main tomb complex that they believe belonged to servants. Items found within the tombs were fragments of a stone mask covered with the image of a woman’s face coated with gold, an alabaster headrest and pottery. – Sapa-DPA