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...Dr. Naunton and his team found a passage leading down to a central chamber. But despite the anticipation of treasure or ancient artifacts, what they found inside took them completely by surprise. The tomb, sealed for nearly 4,000 years, was not as pristine as they had hoped. The chamber was in disarray, showing clear signs of having been disturbed -- but there was no sign of forced entry. That was the first twist in the tale.The seal on the tomb had clearly remained intact, so the question loomed: how had the contents been disrupted? Archaeologists soon concluded that this wasn't...

Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered the royal tomb of an unknown king...The tomb was found within an ancient Egyptian necropolis in Abydos. The burial is located about 23 feet (7 meters) underground and contains a limestone burial chamber covered with mudbrick vaults, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities wrote in a statement. The burial chamber was originally about 16 feet (5 m) high.The king's reign dates to the "Second Intermediate Period" (circa 1640 to 1540 B.C.), when northern Egypt was ruled by a group called the Hyksos and the southern part of Egypt was controlled by multiple Egyptian kings...The...

The base of the pyramid was around seventy-five meters on each side and it would have been around one hundred and five meters when completed. Like other Middle Kingdom pyramids the body of the pyramid was constructed from mudbrick and clay (rather than durable stone) clad in limestone. The mudbrick core was built in stepped form perhaps to try, in vain, to give the monument greater stability.Unlike earlier twelfth dynasty pyramids the substructure of the pyramid is a complex network of interconnected passageways and was clearly built as a burial site for the wives of the pharaoh, as well as...

A number of stone, pottery and wooden coffins were also found, some of which had mummies which were uncovered in good condition, in addition to a number of wooden masks some of them are incomplete and a set of tools that were used in cutting and polishing. The Middle Kingdom era is called the era of economic prosperity because of many economic projects, such as irrigation, trade, industry and agriculture. Among the most famous kings of the Middle Kingdom were King Mentuhotep II, who restored the unity of the country and spread security after the chaos that plagued Egypt in...

CAIRO — Egypt on Saturday opened two of its oldest pyramids, located about 25 miles south of the capital Cairo, to visitors for the first time since 1965. Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Anany told reporters that tourists were are now allowed to visit the Bent Pyramid and its satellite pyramid in the Dahshur royal necropolis, which is part of the Memphis Necropolis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Middle Kingdom rock-cut tomb discovered in El-Lisht. The Egyptian-American mission directed by Mohamed Youssef (Dahshur antiquities director) and Dr. Sarah Parcak (University of Alabama) discovered a Middle Kingdom tomb in El-Lisht to the south of Senusret I pyramid. "The mission has been working on documenting and preserving the result of illicit digs which took place after 25th of January 2011 turmoil." Dr. Mamdouh El-Damaty, Minister of Antiquities, told Luxor Times. The discovered tomb belongs to a High official dated to 12th Dynasty at the reign of Senusret I. The tomb owner held the title "Royal seal bearer". The mission will...

An international team of researchers said Sunday they will soon begin analyzing cosmic particles collected inside Egypt's Bent Pyramid to search for clues as to how it was built and learn more about the 4,600-year-old structure. Mehdi Tayoubi, president of the Heritage Innovation Preservation Institute, said that plates planted inside the pyramid last month have collected data on radiographic particles known as muons that rain down from the earth's atmosphere. The particles pass through empty spaces but can be absorbed or deflected by harder surfaces. By studying particle accumulations, scientists may learn more about the construction of the pyramid, built...