Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Excavation of Predynastic Burial Complex Near Edfu

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=31&art_id=qw1114007940732B221
"A joint American-Egyptian archaeological team has excavated what is believed to be the largest ever discovered pre-dynastic funerary complex near the Upper Egyptian city of Edfu, antiquities officials said on Wednesday . . . An SCA statement said on Wednesday that the complex 'consists of a large rectangular tomb covered with the earliest known superstructure and a wooden offering table' ".
This is a very important find, probably dating to Naqada II, c.3600bc. It is being speculated that it belonged to one of the rulers of Hierakonpolis, the most important of the urban centres during Naqada II.

Finds include:
  • Four badly preserved bodies in the tomb's west end which may have belonged to sacrificed servants or prisoners
  • The complete figurine of a flint-carved cow's head
  • limestone fragments of an "earlier human life-size statue were found along with fragments of two ceramic funerary masks and a collection of fine pots that indicate the date of the funerary complex".

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