the Area is an old quarry, where the material in its time was uploaded to the tempelbyggen around in the south of Egypt. Since 2012, the ongoing excavations each year offers new spectacular discoveries. The discovery of the mass grave was made last year, but it was only in the autumn as Maria Nilsson, archaeologist at Lund university, who is leading the work, together with her husband John Ward, could begin excavation.
is gravschaktet which consists of two chambers – filled with water, sand and sludge. And the remains of bodies believed to be around 3,400 years old.
Utgrävningsarbetet is a big challenge and is still going on, ” says Maria Nilsson.
“We are not ready with the first chamber, but so far we have raised 50 adults and 25 children,” she says, and continues:
– the Pitch, we knew about already last year, but in October we began to understand for themselves the significance of the tomb.
A whole family crafted in the sandstone has been unearthed in a quarry Jabal al-silsila, egypt. Photo: Maria Nilsson, Gebel silsila, egypt Project
the findings of grave goods has been made, which can tell us a lot about the people buried there. It concerns, among other things skarabéer, amulets and various kinds of förvaringskrukor. According to Maria Nilsson it is all about the gifts to the people who had money and who belonged to at least three generations of pharaohs: Thutmosis II, III, and Amenhotep II.
” What we can see on the gravgåvorna and the architecture of the graves is that they belong to an upper-middle class. In one way or another, we believe that they have been involved in the stenbrottsarbetet.
During the excavations, the team has found three sandstenssarkofager, of which two are excavated and included two small children.
theories about why all the bodies buried at one and the same place. One is about the priesthood that may have collected dead bodies in search of vacant graves.
– The second theory that we’re working with is that there may have been an epidemic, and something caused the need of a large tomb for those who died during a short period of time, ” says Maria Nilsson.
The american-egyptian team at Jabal al-silsila, egypt has much work ahead. In February, go Maria Nilsson and John Ward returned to Sweden, and returning to the excavation site until next fall.
