The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced that archaeologists uncovered a 3,900-year-old burial chamber belonging to Idy, an ancient Egyptian noblewoman, in Asyut, Egypt. Idy was the daughter of Djefaihapi I, a wealthy regional governor who lived around 1880 BCE and was worshiped in antiquity, according to Phys.org.
Idy's burial chamber was discovered behind a quarry stone wall at the bottom of a 14-meter-deep vertical shaft within her father Djefaihapi I's monumental tomb. The tomb measures 11 meters in height, 28 meters deep, and extends 70 meters into the mountain, making it one of the largest non-royal tombs in Egypt, as reported by Stern.
The discovery was made by an international team led by Professor Jochem Kahl from Freie Universität Berlin, following more than two decades of excavations. “Idy’s coffins and their decorations surpass contemporary objects through the artistry of their execution and thus seamlessly tie in with the outstanding quality of the texts and images in the tomb of her father Djefai-Hapi I,” Kahl stated, according to My Modern Met.
Kahl explained that the texts included question-and-answer games that Idy had to pass, according to the belief of the ancient Egyptians. “So, for example: I am the Yesterday. I know the Tomorrow—what does that mean?” he said, according to Stern.
Inside the burial chamber, archaeologists found two nested wooden coffins adorned with intricate images and texts, including religious texts that guide the deceased to the underworld. Both coffins appeared to be made from imported wood, indicating significant wealth, as noted by La República. The outer coffin measures 2.6 meters in length, while the inner coffin is 2.3 meters long.
Most of Idy's grave goods remained untouched, including wooden figures, ritual vessels, and mummified remains that reflect Egyptian funerary practices, according to Phys.org. However, Idy's mummy had been torn apart by ancient grave robbers, and her bones were found not in the sarcophagus but in a corner of the chamber, as reported by Stern.
Preliminary examinations of Idy's remains indicate she died before reaching the age of 40 and suffered from a congenital foot defect, according to Phys.org. Despite her physical ailment, Idy occupied a prominent place in society, holding the honorific title of “Lady of the House,” reflecting the influence that women could exert in religious and political contexts.
Kahl stated that the study will allow “new and far-reaching statements to be made about the position of women and the transfer of knowledge in ancient Egypt,” as reported by the New York Post.
Among the offerings listed on the inside of the coffin lid were bread, beer, oil, a bow and arrow, and 2,000 harps, symbolically given to Idy for her journey. Archaeologists also discovered a chest containing canopic jars used to store Idy's vital organs during mummification, as noted by My Modern Met.
For over 20 years,,Kahl and his team have been researching the limestone hill in Asyut, which served as a cemetery for approximately 10,000 people during the time of the pharaohs, according to Stern. The fieldwork is conducted in cooperation with Sohag University in Egypt, Kanazawa University in Japan, and the Polish Academy of Sciences.
The team plans to continue excavations to find other artifacts that could shed light on how people lived during the Middle Kingdom in Egypt, as reported by the Mail Online. “We are reconstructing the history of this ancient city, about everything we find on the mountain,” Kahl stated, according to Stern.
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq