CAIRO — Egypt has unveiled several discoveries near the famed city of Luxor, including ancient rock-cut tombs and burial shafts dating back 3,600 years.
They were unearthed at the causeway of Pharaoh Hatshepsut's funerary temple at Deir al-Bahri on the Nile's West Bank, according to a statement released last week by Zahi Hawass Foundation for Antiquities & Heritage. It said it worked in tandem with the Supreme Council of Antiquities on the site since September 2022.
Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass, head of Zahi Hawass Foundation for Antiquities & Heritage, speaks Wednesday at a recently discovered ancient rock-cut tomb at the causeway of Pharaoh Hatshepsut's funerary temple at Deir al-Bahri on the Nile's West Bank in Luxor, Egypt.
Artifacts found at the tombs included bronze coins with the image of Alexander the Great dating to the Time of Ptolemy I (367-283), children's toys made of clay, cartonnage and funerary masks that covered mummies, winged scarabs, beads and funerary amulets.
Hawass told reporters that the discoveries could "reconstruct history" and offer an understanding of the type of programs ancient Egyptians designed inside a temple.
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A recently discovered ancient rock-cut tomb is seen Wednesday at the causeway of Pharaoh Hatshepsut's funerary temple at Deir al-Bahri in Luxor, Egypt.
The archaeologists also found the remnants of Hatshepsut's Valley Temple, rock-cut tombs dating back to the Middle Kingdom (1938 B.C. - 1630 B.C.), burial shafts from the 17th dynasty, the tomb of Djehuti-Mes and part of the Assassif Ptolemaic Necropolis.
The rock-cut tombs were robbed during the Ptolemaic period and later. Still, the Egyptian teams uncovered some artifacts such as pottery tables that were used to offer bread, wine and meat.
Egyptian archaeologists restore recently discovered artifacts Wednesday at the causeway of Pharaoh Hatshepsut's funerary temple at Deir al-Bahri in Luxor, Egypt.
Inside the burial shafts dating back to 1580 B.C. - 1550 B.C., anthropoid wooden coffins were found, including one that belonged to a young child. It remained intact since its burial about 3,600 years ago.
War archery bows were also found inside the burial chamber, indicating that those who owned the tombs had military backgrounds and fought to liberate Egypt from the Hyksos.
Not many artifacts from Djehuti Mes's tomb were found, but the tomb itself reveals more about Djehuti Mes, who oversaw Queen Teti Sheri's palace. The date engraved on the Djehuti Mes' funerary stelae indicates the tomb goes back to the 9th year of King Ahmose I's reign (1550 B.C. - 1525 B.C.).
Recently unearthed artifacts by the mission of Zahi Hawass Foundation for Antiquities & Heritage are displayed Wednesday at the causeway of Pharaoh Hatshepsut's funerary temple at Deir al-Bahri in Luxor, Egypt.
Part of the extended Ptolemaic necropolis that occupied the site of the causeway and the Valley Temple also was uncovered. The tombs in the cemetery were built of mud bricks over the remnants of Hatshepsut's temple. A large part of the necropolis was unearthed earlier in the 20th century but wasn't properly documented.
In November, Egyptian and American archaeologists excavated an ancient tomb with 11 sealed burials near Luxor. The tomb, which dates to the Middle Kingdom, was found in the South Asasif necropolis, next to the Temple of Hatshepsut.
Photos: Egypt unveils recently discovered ancient workshops, tombs in Saqqara necropolis
Canopic jars, which were made to contain organs that were removed from the body in the process of mummification, are seen at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, 24 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, May 27, 2023. Saqqara is a part of Egypt's ancient capital of Memphis, a UNESCO World Heritage site. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
A Canopic jar, which was made to contain organs that were removed from the body in the process of mummification, are seen at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, 15 miles southwest of Cairo, Egypt.
A recently unearthed ancient wooden sarcophagus is seen Saturday in Saqqara near Cairo, Egypt.
An Egyptian archeologist points at a colored painting showing the offering of sacrifices at a recently uncovered tomb that was said to belong to a top official of the fifth Dynasty named "Ne Hesut Ba" in Saqqara, Egypt.
Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, displays a recently unearthed ancient wooden sarcophagus at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, 24 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, May 27, 2023. Saqqara is a part of Egypt's ancient capital of Memphis, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Waziri said the workshops had been used to mummify humans and sacred animals, dated back to the 30th Pharaonic Dynasty 380 BC to 343 BC and Ptolemaic period 305 BC to 30 BC. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
A colored painting is seen on a recently unearthed ancient wooden sarcophagus in Saqqara, Egypt.
A visitor is reflected on a panel that holds recently unearthed ancient artifacts Saturday in Saqqara, Egypt.
Canopic jars, made to contain organs removed from a body during the mummification process, are displayed in Saqqara, Egypt.
Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, displays a recently unearthed ancient wooden sarcophagus Saturday in Saqqara, about 15 miles southwest of Cairo, Egypt.
Visitors pose for pictures Saturday on top of recently unearthed ancient embalming workshops in Saqqara, Egypt.
