3,200-Year-Old Tomb Emerges in Luxor, Egypt

A Dutch-Egyptian archaeological team uncovered a 3,200-year-old tomb in Luxor, Egypt. The T-shaped tomb dates back to the 19th Dynasty of the New Kingdom, a period that included the reign of Ramesses II. Inscriptions identify the tomb’s owner as a man named Paser, and frescoes depict him performing religious rites with his wife.

The layout of the tomb, with an open forecourt and presumed underground burial chambers, is typical for the Theban Necropolis. Researchers found a mudbrick bench intended to hold funerary stelae, though the stelae themselves are missing.

Carina van den Hoven led the excavation as part of a long-term project combining conservation with archaeological work. An upcoming study will examine the tomb’s relationship to other tombs in the Lower Sheikh Abd El-Qurna area and provide insight into funerary practices of the time.