CAIRO, EGYPT—According to an Ahram Online report, rock-cut tombs dated to Egypt’s Old Kingdom (ca. 2649–2150 B.C.) have been discovered in the Qubbet el-Hawa necropolis at Aswan. The tombs, which feature burial shafts and chambers, were reused during the First Intermediate Period (ca. 2150–2030 B.C.) and the Middle Kingdom (ca. 2030–1640 B.C.). Hisham El-Leithy of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities said that two of the burial chambers contained some 160 pottery vessels inscribed with hieratic script. These vessels are thought to have been used to store liquids and grains. Bronze mirrors, alabaster kohl containers, bead necklaces, and Middle Kingdom amulets were recovered from an outer courtyard, he added. To read about another burial at the site that researchers believe is the oldest Egyptian tomb oriented toward the winter solstice sunrise, go to "Winter Light."
