Researchers have discovered an ornate burial chamber at Abusir, dating back to the middle of the 1st millennium BC, belonging to Djehutyemhat, a high-ranking Egyptian official and royal scribe.
The tomb, located in an area associated with elite officials and military leaders from the 26th and 27th dynasties of ancient Egypt, contains inscriptions designed to protect against snake bites.
The discovery was announced by the Czech Institute of Egyptology, affiliated with Charles University in Prague, following their excavations at this ancient pyramid complex nestled between Giza and Saqqara.
The chamber, almost 50 feet underground, is adorned with ritual offerings, celestial depictions, and a large sarcophagus inscribed with hieroglyphs and images of gods. Spells for protection against snakes and excerpts from the Book of the Dead are intended to aid the deceased's afterlife journey.
Notably, the sarcophagus features depictions of the goddesses Isis, Nephthys, and Imentet—the goddess of the West—underlining their role in safeguarding the deceased.
Jiri Janak, an expert in ancient sacral texts, noted during a press announcement that the goddess of the West acts as a guardian to the deceased, symbolizing a maternal embrace. The archaeologists, led by Miroslav Barta, deduced that the inscriptions were meant to ensure a peaceful afterlife.
While the sarcophagus was unoccupied, the discovery of skeletal remains nearby suggests the tomb's occupant was a young man of high status who died prematurely, around age 25, with signs of severe osteoporosis—a condition possibly hereditary, as suggested by similar findings in neighboring graves.