View of the interior of the tomb of Panehesy. Mutnedjet, Wikimedia Commons
Posted on 07/21/2014 9:34:54 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
...the burials of the deceased of the estimated 30,000 commoners and laborers remained elusive – until 2001, when archaeologist Barry Kemp of the University of Cambridge began to see the first signs. Kemp has directed excavations and surveys at Amarna for the Egypt Exploration Society since 1977.
“The puzzle seems now to have been solved,” says Kemp. “ It has come about through the desert GPS survey begun in 2001 and continued in subsequent years. First came the discovery of two cemeteries (clearly robbed) of what must be relatively poor graves on the flat desert not far from tomb no. 6 (of Panehesy), the southernmost of the North Tombs. The surface pottery is appropriate to the Amarna period. In 2003 a third cemetery was discovered on the east side of a narrow wadi which runs back into the low escarpment behind tomb 25 of the South Tombs group. In 2004 two further cemeteries likely to be of the Amarna Period were located on the floor of another wadi which cuts through the cliffs where the North Tombs are located.”
(Excerpt) Read more at popular-archaeology.com ...
View of the interior of the tomb of Panehesy. Mutnedjet, Wikimedia Commons
Geez, I don’t see much point in digging into a “commoner” cemetery. After all, there likely won’t be any golden goodies to find.
Ah, yes. The laborers who like those happy Dwarves, whistled their way to work every morning.
Yeah, heh, a city less than 20 years in duration, and has a cemetery of 30,000 (and that’s just what’s known so far — but there was no slave labor in ancient Egypt.
All the more reason.
Plus, it annoys those who call archaeology “graverobbing”.
Pardon me? Egypt certainly did have slave labor. I don't think there was any ancient civilization did not have slave labor.
At the Pyramid-raisings? Are you kidding? With their all-you-can-eat buffets, beer on ice starting at noon and festive dances under the stars afterword?
Exactly.
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