Egyptian archaeologists discover a 3,500-year-old tomb and mummies By Agence France-Presse, adapted by Newsela staff on 04.24.17 Word Count 717 Level 940L An expert inspects a sarcophagus found with mummies and sculptures inside a grave, which was estimated to be more than 3,500 years old, during archaeological work in Luxor, Egypt, April 18, 2017. Photo by: Stringer/Anadolu Agency/ Getty Images Outside the city of Luxor, Egyptian archaeologists have made an important find. They have uncovered the remains of a 3,500-year-old tomb. In the tomb, they have found several mummies, colorful wooden coffins and more than 1,000 funerary statues. The tomb dates from the 18th Dynasty tomb. The 18th Dynasty is the most famous period in ancient Egypt and took place from 1550-1298 BC. Egypt's most famous pharoahs lived during that time, including King Tutankhamun or King Tut. The tomb contains at least eight carefully preserved mummies and was discovered in the Draa Abul Nagaa cemetery near the famed Valley of the Kings. The Egyptian antiquities ministry, who is in charge of archaeological digs in the country, announced the finding in a Tuesday statement. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1
The tomb belonged to a nobleman named Userhat who worked as the city judge. It was opened to add more mummies during the 21st Dynasty, about 3,000 years ago. This was likely to protect the mummies during a period when tomb-robbing was common, said Mostafa Waziri. His is the head of the archaeological mission. Important people were often buried with treasure, making them targets for thieves. Officials Surprised By How Much They Found "It was a surprise how much was being displayed inside," Khaled el-enany told reporters outside the tomb. He is the Antiquities Minister for Egypt. "We found a large number of Ushabti (small carved figurines), more than 1,000 of them," Enany said. "This is an important discovery." Ushabti figurines were often placed with the dead in ancient Egyptian tombs. They were supposed to help with responsibilities in the afterlife. Antiquities officials had initially said that six mummies along with some damaged remains were discovered near the southern city. Later, they said they had identified two more mummies. "There are 10 coffins and eight mummies. The excavation is ongoing," Waziri said. Gloves And Masks Required Inside the tomb, archaeologists wearing white masks and latex gloves inspected the sarcophagi. The ancient Egyptian coffins were covered with beautiful drawings in red, blue, black, green and yellow. They also featured the carved faces of the dead. The caskets were mainly in good condition. Some, though, had fallen apart and worn down over the years. Archaeologists examined a mummy wrapped in linen which was inside one of the caskets. White, orange, green and patterned pots were also found in the tombs. The cemetery is located across the Nile river from Luxor on the West Bank. Many of the famous ancient Egyptian pharaohs were buried here, such as Tutankhamun or King Tut. He was one of the most famous pharaohs from the 18th Dynasty. Describing The Layout Of The Tomb The age of the tomb was determined "through the drawings on the ceiling," said Waziri. The ministry also added a description of the tomb, which was shaped like a T. It had an open court that led to a hall shaped like a rectangle. From there was a hallway that led to an inner chamber that served as a hiding place for sarcophagi. A shaft inside the tomb, about 30 feet long, held the Ushabti figurines. It also held "wooden masks and a handle of a sarcophagus lid," the ministry said. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2
Waziri said the mummies dated back to an age called "the era of the tomb robbers." "It's evident that someone with a conscience, the priests or a high-profile government official... made an opening to the chambers, and they put the coffins there," he said. Another room in the tomb was also discovered. It still has not been completely uncovered, the ministry said. Archaeologists were able to enter the tomb after clearing out the open court. They had to remove more than 1,500 feet of wreckage. Hoping New Discoveries Will Attract Tourists Nevine el-aref is the spokeswoman for the antiquities ministry. She said "there is evidence and traces that new mummies could be discovered in the future" at the site. Many tourists used to visit the tombs and ancient temples of Thebes. Thebes was the capital of ancient Egypt during its later periods and is now the city of Luxor. Tourism here has dropped since longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak was forced to resign after many protests in 2011. Political troubles since then have kept travelers away. Enany said he hoped these new discoveries would help attract tourists again. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3
Quiz 1 WHY are archaeologists surprised that the tomb was NOT destroyed? because the tomb is 3,500 years old because it was not in the cemetery because robbers usually stole from them because the caskets had fallen apart 2 Read the paragraph below from the section "Describing The Layout Of The Tomb." Another room in the tomb was also discovered. It still has not been completely uncovered, the ministry said. Archaeologists were able to enter the tomb after clearing out the open court. They had to remove more than 1,500 feet of wreckage. What is the MOST likely reason WHY the author included this information about the tomb? to highlight the need for more archaeologists to show that the tomb is very large to emphasize the possibility that they may never finish to show that the work takes a lot of time 3 Read the first paragraph of the section "Gloves And Masks Required." Inside the tomb, archaeologists wearing white masks and latex gloves inspected the sarcophagi. Which of the following words, if it replaced the word "inspected," would CHANGE the meaning of the sentence? examined checked observed overlooked This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4
4 Read the following selection from the section "Describing The Layout Of The Tomb." From there was a hallway that led to an inner chamber that served as a hiding place for sarcophagi. Which of the following phrases from the section BEST helps the reader understand the meaning of "chamber"? a hallway another room an open court a hiding place This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5