Egypt discovers remains of tomb and false door belonging to an ancient royal chamberlain at Saqqara

A false door still standing in its original position has been found at Saqqara, along with the remains of the Old Kingdom funerary chapel it belonged to. The discovery came during the first excavation season in Sector A of the Bubasteum necropolis.

In front of the false door, archaeologists found a complete set of alabaster funerary tools. The objects included an offering table and disc, a purification basin, a jug and a basin. In ancient Egyptian belief, a false door served as a threshold between life and death, allowing the deity or spirit of the dead to pass between the two realms.

Hieroglyphic inscriptions on the false door and several of the tools name the tomb’s owner as Sekhentiu-Ptah. They also record his senior positions, including Royal Chamberlain, Overseer of All the King’s Works, Overseer of Royal Documents, Keeper of the Secrets of Royal Commands, Priest of the goddess Maat and Overseer of Scribes.

Officials described the discovery of the complete funerary set in its original position as important evidence about Old Kingdom burial rituals and practices. The Bubasteum lies on the desert edge of Saqqara within a Ptolemaic and Roman temple complex dedicated to Bastet, the ancient goddess associated with cats.

The mission also uncovered an interconnected system of burial shafts. It found several human burials, large quantities of colored funerary cartonnage, three sealed stone sarcophagi in their original condition, more than 100 faience ushabti figurines, a wooden falcon-shaped statue and pottery vessels. Some of the shafts had been looted since antiquity.

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an important discovery, offering valuable information about funerary rituals and practices during the Old Kingdom