A Royal Tomb Discovered Resting Behind the High Official's Tomb In Egypt

Archaeologists discovered another tomb built for a royal scribe named Khonsu behind the tomb of a high official in Egypt. They found the tomb when they were cleaning the high official's tomb and noticed a hole. They searched the hole and were surprised to see the royal tomb.

The discovery was led by Egyptology Professor Jiro Kondo of Waseda University in Tokyo and colleagues. The royal tomb dated about 3,000 years old and beautifully decorated. There is a frieze pattern accented near the ceiling that is typical of the Ramesside period, dated about 1200 B.C.

3,000-year-old royal tomb discovered in Egypt https://t.co/jcSMKSs9Tm via @fxnscitech pic.twitter.com/w8X5kb87fb

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Professor Kondo told Observer that no one knows than unknown tombs that still have beautiful decorations or inscriptions remain undiscovered. He further said that there might be more tombs hidden in this area.

Meanwhile, the high official's tomb belongs to Userhat, who was a high official under Amenhotep III, the ninth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty. Prof. Kondo also discovered the tomb of Khonsuemheb in this area in December 2013.

The T-shaped royal tomb is about 15 feet long from east to west and 18 feet from north to south. On the entrance area, a carved image of four baboons worshipping the solar boat of the god Ra-Atum can be seen. There are hieroglyphics that describe Khonsu as a "true renowned scribe" printed next to the carved images. Khonsu and his wife together with two ram-headed deities in the background are shown worshipping the gods Osiris and Isis, as depicted in the northern part of the eastern wall, according to Fox News.

A scribe is a person who is involved in the art of writing. He writes books or documents by hand using hieratics, cuneiform or other scripts. The scribal profession includes copying books and sacred texts and having secretarial and administrative duties.

In ancient Egypt, the scribes were considered part of the royal court and they did not pay taxes. They were exempted from the heavy manual labor, too. This profession complemented other professions such as the artisans and painters who decorated relics with scenes, personages or hieroglyphic text. In modern times, this profession evolved to public servants, lawyers, journalists, accountants and typists.