Egyptian authorities said Saturday that archaeologists had discovered two tombs dating back to 2,500 years ago in a district in northeastern Cairo, reported AP.
Zahi Hawass, the government's chief archaeologist for the Cairo-Giza area, was quoted by the agency as saying that “one of the limestone tombs, which belonged to Waja-Hur, a builder, contained a sarcophagus and 16 statuettes.”
The 26th dynasty (664-625 BC) tombs were discovered during an archaeological inspection of an empty tract in the Ein Shams, a district in northeastern Cairo.
The district of Ein Shams, which means "eye of the sun" in Arabic, covers part of the area that used to be Heliopolis, or "city of the sun" in Greek. Heliopolis was a center of learning in the ancient Mediterranean world.
In an official statement, Hawass said the tombs were found in a residential area, about 10 feet below the ground, noting that it was believed the tombs had not been looted by grave robbers, but had been damaged by sewage water.
Egyptian archaeologists plan to open the second tomb on Sunday, the news agency said – Albawaba.com
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