A group of Japanese archaeologists unearthed a tomb from the pharaonic period in Egypt’s famed temple city of Luxor.
Egyptian officials said an archaeological team from Waseda University discovered the tomb of Khonso Em Heb, a leading beer producer who lived 3,200 years ago. Landscapes and intricate sculptures depicting daily life during the ancient Egyptian times, including family relationships and religious rituals, were found on the tomb’s walls and ceilings.
One piece of artwork shows Khonso Em Heb making offerings to the gods along with his wife and daughter. The beer that that Em Heb brewed was also used in offerings to ancient Egyptian deities.
Jiro Kondo, head of the Japanese team, said they discovered the site while cleaning the courtyard of “another tomb belonging to a top official from the reign of King Amenhotep III of the 18th dynasty.”
The discovery was lauded as “one of the most important discoveries made in the city of Luxor… at the Thebes necropolis,” said Mohamed Ibrahim, Egypt’s antiquities minister.
The tomb, yet just another of the many royal storehouses found in the ancient temple city, would be placed under tight security until excavation work is completed, the ministry said.
By Maesie Bertumen