ABYDOS, EGYPT—Ahram Online reports that a joint Egyptian-American team uncovered a royal tomb at the Jabal Anubis necropolis in Abydos. The report states that the discovery provides important evidence about an obscure line of rulers, known as the “Abydos Dynasty,” that ruled Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period between 1700 and 1600 b.c. Jabal Anubis is one of ancient Egypt’s most scared burial sites, thanks to its natural pyramid-shaped mountain. The feature is said to have inspired Senwosret III (reigned ca. 1878–1840 b.c.) to build his massive tomb beneath its peak. Subsequently, the rulers of the Abydos Dynasty followed this tradition. Experts believe the recently unearthed tomb may belong to the predecessor of King Senebkay, whose own burial was only discovered in 2014. It features a limestone burial chamber with an 18-foot-high mudbrick vaulted roof. Inscriptions dedicated to the goddesses Isis and Nephthys flank the tomb entrance, along with hieroglyphic writing containing the name of the as-yet-unknown pharaoh buried inside. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, stated that the tomb presents new evidence about royal burials in Abydos and enhances scholars' understanding of the Egyptian political landscape during the Second Intermediate Period. To read about the purported ancestral home of Egypt's first rulers, who were buried in Abydos, go to "Searching for Lost Cities: Egypt's First Capital?"
