17 June 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The largest embalming cache ever found in Egypt unearthed at Abusir

Archaeologists from the Czech Institute for Egyptian Science have discovered a cache of artifacts related to the practice of Egyptian mummification during excavations inside a group of burial wells dating back to the era of the 26th Dynasty.

The location of this discovery is located in the western part of Abu Sir cemetery, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced.

Mummification was an important part of the rituals for the dead in Ancient Egypt, involving the preservation of the body to ensure the departed was welcomed into the afterlife. The Ancient Egyptians thought that when a person died, the soul, ka, which signified life, left the body. Only if the corpse is properly embalmed will the ka return, allowing them to live in the afterlife eternally.

A cluster of some of more than 370 large vessels discovered within the embalming deposit of a certain Wahibre-mery-Neith.
A cluster of some of more than 370 large vessels was discovered within the embalming deposit of a certain Wahibre-mery-Neith. Photo: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

The cache was found inside a huge well measuring 5.3 x 5.3 meters, and more than 14 meters deep, containing unique embalming materials, consisting of 370 large-sized pottery vessels divided into 14 groups.

Each set contains from seven to 52 pots, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri explained.

He added that these pots contain remnants of materials that were used during the mummification process.

A heart-shaped vessel from the embalming deposit of Wahibre-mery-Neith
A heart-shaped vessel from the embalming deposit of Wahibre-mery-Neith. Photo: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

The researchers have identified ceramic vessels, containing the remnants of materials used in the mummification process, in addition to four empty limestone Canopic jars engraved with hieroglyphic texts that name an individual called ‘Wahibre’. According to the texts inscribed on them, the canopic jars belonged to a certain Wahibre-mery-Neith, son of the Lady Irturu.

Director of the mission to Abusir, Prof. Miroslav Bárta notes that “The season of 2021 was part of a long term project aiming at excavation and interpretation of monuments dating to a period when Ancient Egyptian society was looking for new means how to maintain their unique identity which was challenged by the Greek, the Persian and the Nubian armies”. The shaft tombs of Abusir, built in a similar fashion like the famous burial of Djoser, founder of the Old Kingdom, played a major role in a unique way of cultural expression by the Egyptian elites of the period.”

The shaft of the largest embalming deposit discovered in Abusir during the excavation works of the Czech Institute of Egyptology
The shaft of the largest embalming deposit was discovered in Abusir during the excavation works of the Czech Institute of Egyptology. Photo: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

“Although a number of dignitaries of this name are known from this period, none of them can be identified as the owner of these canopic jars, as different mothers are attested for all of them. Judging from the size of the embalming deposit and, mainly, from the dimensions and arrangement of the nearby tomb, the owner of the tomb (and of the deposit) must have belonged to the highest dignitaries of his time, together with his closest neighbours in the cemetery – the famous admiral Udjahorresnet and general Menekhibnekau,” Prof. Ladislav Bareš, one of the leading experts on the period, said.

Deputy Director of the Czech mission, Mohamed Megahed confirmed that during 2022, archaeological excavations will continue in the area.

At the same time, studies and analysis of the contents of the pottery vessels will be started using modern scientific methods.

The excavations of the Czech Institute of Egyptology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University are supported by the Charles University Progres and Cooperation programs, the KREAS project (OPVVV), and the VEG  of the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports.

Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

Czech Institute of Egyptology, https://cegu.ff.cuni.cz/en/2022/02/09/the-largest-embalming-cache-ever-found-in-egypt-unearthed-at-abusir/

Related Articles

A painted Wooden Saddle Discovered in an Ancient Tomb in Mongolia Represents Earliest Evidence of Modern Horse Riding

13 December 2023

13 December 2023

Researchers unearthed a wooden saddle framed with iron stirrups in a tomb in Urd Ulaan Uneet, popularly known as the...

Magnificent Discovery: A Major Tomb Filled with Gold and Ceramic Artifacts was Discovered in Panama

3 March 2024

3 March 2024

In an archaeological find in the El Caño Archaeological Park, located in the district of Natá, province of Coclé, in...

Fossil of a hominid child who died almost 250,000 years ago discovered in South Africa

8 November 2021

8 November 2021

A team of international and South African researchers uncovered the fossil remains of an early hominid kid who died almost...

Archaeologists Find the “Lost” House of the Last Anglo-Saxon King Depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry

28 January 2025

28 January 2025

A team from Newcastle University and the University of Exeter have uncovered evidence that a house in England is the...

At a dig site in western Turkey, a centuries-old Byzantine fortress will be revealed

24 December 2021

24 December 2021

Excavation of vast Byzantine-era fortifications considered to be about 900 years old has begun at a dig site in western...

Archaeologists may have discovered the site where Otto the Great, founder of the Holy Roman Empire, died

5 October 2023

5 October 2023

Archaeologists believe they have found the site where Emperor Otto I (936-973), known as the Great, founder of the Holy...

A 13th-Century Italian Fresco Reveals the Medieval Church’s Use of Islamic Altar Tents

3 February 2025

3 February 2025

A recently rediscovered 13th-century fresco in Ferrara, Italy, offers significant insights into the medieval practice of utilizing Islamic tents to...

A 2,000-year-old Roman grave belonging to soldier Flaccus unearthed in Netherlands

9 December 2024

9 December 2024

Archaeologists have uncovered a 2,000-year-old grave from the Roman settlement in Heerlen, Netherlands. The latest analysis has shown that it...

Roman soldier’s 1,900-year-old payslip uncovered in Masada

16 February 2023

16 February 2023

During excavations at Masada, archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities (IAA) uncovered a papyrus payslip dated to 72 BC belonging to...

Archaeologists find a 3,000-year-old bronze sword in Germany

15 June 2023

15 June 2023

Archaeologists discovered a bronze sword more than 3,000 years old during excavations in the town of Nördlingen in Bavaria, Germany....

Earliest Direct Evidence of Psychoactive Plant Use in Iron Age Arabia Identified in Tomb at Qurayyah

25 May 2025

25 May 2025

In a remarkable archaeological breakthrough, scientists have uncovered the earliest known use of the psychoactive plant Peganum harmala—commonly known as...

New Research Links Climate Crisis to the Fall of the Roman Empire

11 April 2025

11 April 2025

A study led by scientists at the University of Southampton, in collaboration with Queen’s University Canada and the Chinese Academy...

9,000-Year-Old Rock Art Suggests Early Humans Interacted with Dinosaur Footprints

22 February 2025

22 February 2025

In Brazil, researchers have made an extraordinary discovery of ancient rock art dating back over 9,000 years, found alongside dinosaur...

The ‘extraordinary’ Roman mosaic depicting scenes from Homer’s Iliad unearthed in a Rutland farmer’s field is the first of its kind in England

25 November 2021

25 November 2021

The 1,500-year-old mosaic discovered by a farmer was considered Britain’s “most exciting” Roman find. The artwork was discovered on private...

Ancient tomb discovered under parking lot greenery in Japan

16 September 2023

16 September 2023

Shrubbery intended to illuminate a corner of a nondescript parking lot in Japan’s Nara prefecture turned out to be hiding...