Burial Chamber of Ancient Egyptian Queen Unearthed

Originally published March 3, 2010 | Yahoo! News and AFP | For all of you hieroglyphic inscription fans, this find should be a fascinating one for you (it is for me). Recently discovered in Saqqara was a burial chamber of an obscure Old Kingdom Queen. The following is an excerpt from this article at Yahoo! News:

"We are excited because the texts are well conserved," he told The Associated Press, adding that the queen's titles were written on the walls of the 33 by 16 foot (10 meter by 5 meter) burial chamber inside her small pyramid.

The text is primarily concerned with protecting the queen's remains and her transition to afterlife.

Collombert called the queen "mysterious," and said it was not clear whether she was the wife of King Pepi I or II, two long-ruling pharaohs of the Sixth Dynasty.

Another source reporting on the same news can be found at Reuters and my favorite place to frequent on the web, Heritage Key.

Opening the Tomb of Sa-Iset

Originally published February 1, 2010 | Zahi Hawass' Blog | by Dr. Hawass | Dr. Zahi Hawass details the recent re-excavation of the burial chamber in Dashur of a Dynasty 12 vizier named Sa-Iset. He finds the need to lift the lid of the vizier's coffin to confirm that a previous excavator (Jacques de Morgan) did indeed do the same to perform excavation work underneath. He continues with a brief history of this tomb's place in history and it's significance (and it's intriguing aspects). He ends with this final note:

The important thing to remember is that this tomb is still very valuable, in its unique design and Pyramid Texts, and a complete study will reveal much information about the reign of Amenemhat II and the Middle Kingdom time in which Sa-Iset lived.

Photo - Pyramid Texts in the Pyramid of Teti

Originally published July 4, 2009 | Zahi Hawass' Photo Blog

Courtesy of the SCA, this picture showcases the inside of the Sixth Dynasty king's pyramid in Saqqara, complete with pyramid text, ceiling art, and his sarcophagus.