Tomb of female singer found in Egypt
CAIRO - Agence France-Presse
This photo shows the grave of a singer of the Egyptian deity Amun-Re, which was discovered near the Temple of Karnak in the southern ancient city of Luxor.
Swiss archaeologists have discovered the tomb of a female singer dating back almost 3,000 years in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, Antiquities Minister Mohammed Ibrahim said on Jan. 15.The rare find was made accidentally by a team from Switzerland’s Basel University headed by Elena Pauline-Grothe and Susanne Bickel in Karnak, near Luxor in Upper Egypt, the minister told the media in Cairo.
The woman, Nehmes Bastet, was a singer for the supreme deity Amon Ra during the Twenty-Second Dynasty (945-712 BC), according to an inscription on a wooden plaque found in the tomb.
She was the daughter of the High Priest of Amon, Ibrahim said.
Valley of King used for burial of ordinary people
The discovery is important because “it shows that the Valley of the Kings was also used for the burial of ordinary individuals and priests of the Twenty-Second Dynasty,” he added.
Until now the only tombs found in the historic valley were those linked to ancient Egyptian royal families.
