In the tomb of the Egyptian queen Meret-Neith, the most powerful woman in the period around 3,000 BC, a German-Austrian research team recently discovered hundreds of jugs, some of which were still closed, containing 5,000-year-old wine and other grave goods.
The find fuels speculation that Meret-Neith could be the first female pharaoh of ancient Egypt and predecessor of the later queen Hatshepsut of the so-called 18th dynasty, reports a team led by archaeologist Christiana Köhler from the University of Vienna.
Huge amounts of grave goods found
Researchers found evidence of a huge amount of grave goods, including hundreds of large wine jars. Some of them were in very good condition and even had their original seals. Remains of 5,000 year old wine were found there. Furthermore, inscriptions show that Queen Meret-Neith was in charge of important government offices such as the Ministry of Finance, supporting the idea of her special historical significance.
The burial complex was built underground
The monumental funerary complex of Meret-Neith in the desert of Abydos, which includes not only her own burial chamber but also the tombs of 41 courtiers and servants, was built of unbaked mud bricks, clay and wood. The layout of the facility measures approximately 37 by 26 meters and is largely underground, i.e. buried in the desert sand.
No ritual human sacrifices at the funeral
According to current excavations and research at the tomb complex in the desert of Abydos, sacrifices of servants and courtiers after the death of a king as part of the funeral are just rumors circulating, the researchers report. “Although it has never been definitively proven, it is still floating around and persists,” says excavation leader Köhler.
Köhler: “No traces of trauma”
“The scientific study of the graves shows no traces of trauma (physical injuries resulting from an accident or violence, please note) or a simultaneous burial of the courtiers,” Köhler clarified: “Where sufficient remains were preserved, we were able to prove that the graves were closed at different times”.
Source: Krone
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