|
They also found tombs nearby from the later
Hyksos period (1650 to 1500 B.C.), when Western Asian migrants
took over the country, putting an end to Egypt's Middle Kingdom.
The findings in the Dakahlia province north of Cairo could shed
light on two important transitional periods in ancient Egypt,
Egyptologists said.
The tombs include 68 from the Buto period that began around 3300
B.C. and five from the Naqada III period, which was just before
the emergence of Egypt's first dynasty around 3100 B.C.,
according to a statement from the Ministry of Tourism and
Antiquities.
They also include 37 tombs from the time of the Hyksos, who
first began migrating across the Sinai into Egypt around 1800
B.C.
"This is an extremely interesting cemetery because it combines
some of the earliest periods of Egyptian history with another
important era, the time of the Hyksos," said Salima Ikram, an
Egyptologist at the American University in Cairo.
"Egyptologists are working to understand how the Egyptians and
the Hyksos lived together and to what degree the former took on
Egyptian traditions."
The Buto tombs were oval-shaped pits with the corpses placed
inside in a squatting position, mostly on their left sides with
the head pointing west, the ministry statement said.
Some of the tombs from the Naqada period contained cylindrical
and pear-shaped vessels.
The Hyksos tombs were mainly semi-rectangular with the corpses
lying in an extended position and the head also facing west.
"The mission also found a group of ovens, stoves, remnants of
mud brick foundations, pottery vessels and amulets, especially
scarabs, some of which were made of semi-precious stones and
jewelry such as earrings," the statement said.
(Editing by Mike Collett-White)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content
|
|
