Ancient tombs packed with pottery and jewelry unearthed from Egyptian necropolis

Archaeologists in Egypt have announced significant discoveries at Qubbet El-Hawa, a major necropolis in the country's south.

Working under the Supreme Council of Antiquities, the recent mission near Aswan focused on rock-cut shafts and burial chambers, including two rooms that contained around 160 pottery vessels. Many of the vessels, some bearing inscriptions, are exceptionally well preserved and are believed to have been used to store grain and liquids.

In another tomb, the outer courtyard was found filled with bronze mirrors, containers of kohl, beaded necklaces, and other pieces of jewelry dating to the Middle Kingdom. Archaeological evidence suggests that the cemetery was used and reused over centuries, beginning in the Old Kingdom, around 2700-2200 BCE.

Hisham El-Leithy, the antiquities council secretary general, said further studies would examine how the tombs were used across different historical periods.

The site, first excavated in the late nineteenth century, includes nearly 100 tombs carved into the cliffs for local governors, dignitaries, and priests, and it remained active from the Old Kingdom through the Roman era.

Earlier discoveries at the necropolis have included mummified crocodiles in 2019, mud-brick graves in 2020, and last year, additional Old Kingdom tombs containing human remains.

Since 2015, a joint project between the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection in Berlin and the Aswan Inspectorate has been documenting and conserving a nearby burial complex, where nine additional tombs have so far been uncovered.