Spanish team unearths a unique find in Luxor on excavations in the necropolis of Ancient Thebes

Spanish team unearths a unique find in Luxor on excavations in the necropolis of Ancient Thebes
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By m.p. - Feb 18, 2008 - 11:16 PM

José Manuel Galán and his team with the mummified remains of the Ancient Egyptian warrior, Iqer. Photo – EFE.

They find was intact, the tomb of an Egyptian warrior who died 4,000 years ago

A team led by a Spanish archaeologist has discovered the burial chamber of an Egyptian warrior who died four thousand years ago, as part of a Spanish-Egyptian project which is investigating part of the necropolis on the western bank of the Nile at Luxor which served as the burial ground for ancient Thebes.

The excavation site is at Dra’ Abu el-Naga, where the team’s investigations are centred on the tombs of Djehuty and Hery, two high-ranking dignitaries of the court of Hatshepsut, the 18th dynasty Pharaoh who was one of the few women to rule in Ancient Egypt. It’s not known exactly when she reigned, but it is believed to have been around 1500 BC.

The tomb discovered in the necropolis is that of Iqer, whose name was found inscribed on the wooden coffin which contained his mummified body. His name means ‘the excellent,’ El Mundo says. With him were five arrows made of reed, with many of the feathers still intact, together with two large bows. A researcher from CSIC, the Spanish National Research Council, is in charge of the team, José Manuel Galán. He described the find as ‘unique,’ given that it is very rare for archaeologists ‘to have the luck to discover such an ancient burial chamber intact.’ Normally, he said, the family of the deceased have been there before to remove jewels and other objects of value, followed by the professional grave robbers of the 19th century who would have caused an enormous amount of damage.

‘The archer Iqer, buried with his bows and arrows, documents those years of conflict, and reflects a complex and warlike society, which was at the same time sophisticated, cultivated, intellectual and religious,’ he said.

Other important finds the team has made at the site include what is known as the ‘Apprentice Board,’ reported as the first full-frontal portrait of an ancient Pharaoh ever discovered. It dates back to around to 1400 BC and is now on display in the museum at Luxor.

They have also found dozens of bouquets of dried flowers tied together with cord, of olive and persea more than 3,500 years old.

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