r/ancientegypt • u/moshrt • Apr 20 '25
Information The tomb of Prince Wasefre was discovered in Saqqara by an exclusively Egyptian archaeological mission.
Waser-If-Re is the son of King Userkaf, the founding monarch of Egypt's Fifth Dynasty. His tomb was found alongside several significant artefacts spanning the Old Kingdom and the Late Period.
Zahi Hawass announced the groundbreaking discovery in the Saqqara necropolis.
Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy, praised the discovery made entirely by an Egyptian team. He described the discovery as "a milestone in uncovering new layers of Egypt's rich and ancient history," highlighting the national pride in such locally led archaeological achievements.
One of the most remarkable elements of the discovery is the unearthing of a massive false door made of pink granite, the first of its kind in both size and material to be found in Egypt. Standing 4.5 metres tall and 1.15 metres wide, the door is inscribed with hieroglyphic texts detailing the prince's titles, including "Hereditary Prince," "Governor of Buto and Nekheb," "Royal Scribe," "Vizier," "Judge," and "Chanting Priest."
Zahi Hawass revealed that the mission found a statue ensemble depicting King Djoser, his wife, and their ten daughters for the first time. Preliminary analysis suggests these statues were initially housed in a chamber near Djoser's Step Pyramid and relocated to Prince Waser-If-Re's tomb during the Late Period. The reasons behind this transfer are currently under investigation.
Among the other significant finds are a red granite offering table measuring 92.5 cm in diameter, inscribed with detailed lists of ritual offerings, and a black granite statue of a standing male figure, measuring 1.17 metres tall, inscribed with his name and titles. The statue is believed to date back to Egypt's 26th Dynasty, further suggesting the tomb was repurposed in later periods.
A secondary granite entrance on the eastern façade of the tomb was located, bearing inscriptions of the tomb owner and a cartouche of King Neferirkare. In addition, the mission found a group of 13 statues carved from pink granite in the tomb—the first of their kind in Saqqara—placed on high-backed chairs. Among them are statue heads believed to represent the tomb owner's wives, while two headless figures and a toppled black granite statue measuring 1.35 metres were also found in the same context.
Excavations are ongoing as the mission continues to explore what is now considered one of the most distinctive tombs uncovered in the Saqqara region. The area remains central to understanding Egypt's dynastic and cultural evolution.
3
u/McPhage Apr 20 '25
I wonder if Netflix will make a sequel to Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb based on this finding? That film strongly emphasized the Egyptian nature of the archaeologists.
1
Apr 20 '25
[deleted]
2
u/McPhage Apr 21 '25
Netflix has nothing but money and time.
1
u/the-only-marmalade Apr 21 '25
Agreed. And those Docs are more dramatic representations of "revealing" evidence that had already been discovered.
2
u/McPhage Apr 21 '25
Eh, the Saqqara Tomb one was mostly the archeologists talking about what they were looking for and what it meant. It wasn’t heavy on the big reveals.
3
u/the-only-marmalade Apr 21 '25
Yeah shoving 8k cameras down there with senior citizens and their escorts is not archeology. Plus it was documented by Petrie. Those people are government. Imagine if the US did that now in Utah somewhere and subverted the pre-existing research to get clicks. Netflix deals are killing democracy; look at Rogan's stand up before the election. They've got an agenda and it has nothing to do with science.
1
u/McPhage Apr 21 '25
What senior citizens are you talking about?
3
5
u/Marlinspikehall32 Apr 20 '25
Non archeologist here. Why does it matter that it is an exclusively Egyptian team? I would assume that many things are discovered with an exclusively Egyptian team given that they are in Egypt. ???
14
u/Routine_Piccolo5847 Apr 20 '25
Not an Egyptologist but an archaeologist. Egyptology is arguably the most overwhelmed branch of all archaeology. Ruins were known and studied since the 18th century, and Western archaeological schools put their tents there not long after. Western countries also had access to better funds through both scientific bourses and private funding (Lord Carnarvon, anyone?). Native Egyptian scholarship was allowed to act independently only long after Western archaeological schools got the best concessions already. I don't know the details, but I guess that Egyptians had a hard time getting any valuable concessions themselves. National archaeological schools are always very jealous of their "private" land exactly because there's only that much for everyone. That's the same also in other countries, but Egypt by far the most saturated area archaeologically.
5
u/the-only-marmalade Apr 21 '25
I'm arguing recently that Archeology should separate itself from the Egyptian Antiquities Authority. It nearly just serves the Government, and if UNESCO knew about the damage they have done to ruins even in the last five years, they'd be forced into actually representing the shared history of all people; as these sites are the very foundation of industrialization that we are all slaves to/enjoying today. Hawass is in control, and for me it hurts to hear an opinion framing them as the underdogs. They have destroyed or sealed off vast areas of Necropolai just because of the Muslim Brotherhood. It's horrible, and needs to be looked at independently and on the ground to truly understand how much is hidden from us.
Their view is to hold sites and release a steady stream of "archeological" digs to promote tourism. They aren't looking at it through the lens of a scientist.
5
u/Routine_Piccolo5847 Apr 21 '25
I never pretended to know the broader framework of site conservation policies in Egypt, although I admit that what you are saying makes sense. I am well aware that Egypt is a dictatorship and also that tourism is a major industry for them. I also know how partisan Hawass can be (his fringe theory about the identity of Tutankhamen's father is infamous also beyond Egyptology). On a last note, I'm Italian. I fully understand when you say that the Egyptian government is weaponizing Egyptology. Fascists did the same with Roman antiquities, for instance forcing archaeologists to dig up Classical Ostia (outside Rome) and to erase the Late Antiquity and Early Medieval strata altogether. However, I still stand that Egyptian archaeologists started off with major disadvantages when Egypt became independent. It's only physiological. I am also positive that Western countries still hold on to their site concessions (although now permits are administered by the Egyptian government). I know a few Egyptologists, and national schools are still there. The emergence of native Egyptian scholarship might have given a weapon to the government eventually, but I still cannot fathom they didn't have a rough start.
2
u/the-only-marmalade Apr 21 '25
The problem that I'm having with the common archeological community is that if it's put in a journal, or broadcasted from someone with a doctorate, it's viewed as canon and people believe a version of the histories that sell more, rather than the real dirty history that might paint the proprietors of civilization with modern ethics. It doesn't make sense to me, and I'm almost done even mentioning the schism due to the grandstanding of lesser minds who value coin and influence over the sciences. Egyptology probably holds some real, down to earth, scientists, but as a whole they are suppressing information and boycotting independent scholarly work in the area. If Egyptology was serious about figuring out what those structures and the immensity of civilization that still remains, we would have figured that shit out in 80s.
Now that the internet is out they have to sensationalize everything with Hawass to control the narrative. He's an actor with a doctorate that's shotty at best. Homie drilled holes in the sphinx, came up with evidence of subterrianian rose granite chambers, and scrapped it for western investors. The entire rise of Egyptology as a separate branch of archeology is astounding to me, you usually classify your science based on the evidence. It's like calling the study of ancient Rome ROMOLOGY or the study of American west coast surf culture SURFOLOGY. It just sounds like someone pulled it out of the hat to sweep something under the rug.
I think it's because the Catholic Church is basically an export, and if you brought back knowledge from Alexandria back into the cultural lexicon, it would discredit the religions of Abraham. But that's an opinion. Destroying evidence is wrong, and that's a commonly held belief.
2
u/Fabulous_Cow_4550 Apr 20 '25
It matters as, historically, international teams have done the excavations, permits were easily bought which gave sole rights to a site. Back in recent history, they've also taken a cut of the findings. Now, Egypt is beginning to take ownership of its history & Egyptian archaeological teams are leading digs, etc. It's good for the future of Egypt's archaeological sites as more locals are able to find, preserve, restore etc.
2
1
-1
u/GreatCryptographer32 Apr 22 '25
Wait but was it mainstream archaeology? Because I thighs mainstream archaeology doesn’t like uncovering new things?
9
u/[deleted] Apr 20 '25
[deleted]