Spanish archaeologists discover 4,400-year-old tomb in Egypt with original colours intact

A Spanish-Egyptian archaeological team has uncovered in Saqqara an exceptional late Fifth Dynasty tomb with two chapels and colourful reliefs of farming and offering processions. A Spanish-Egyptian archaeological mission, led by Spanish Egyptologist Josep Cervelló, has uncovered a "remarkable and beautiful" tomb dating from the late Fifth Dynasty of Egypt's Old Kingdom (2494-2345 BC) in the Saqqara necropolis, southwest of Cairo. The discovery was made during this summer's excavations, led by the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. It is an exceptional mastaba with two funerary chapels, commissioned by Yunmen, a senior official of Pharaoh Djedkare Isesi, who also had his father, Iti, a lower-ranking official, buried there. Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities confirmed that the tomb dates from the end of the Fifth Dynasty, during the reign of Djedkare Isesi, and is located in the Mariette necropolis, in northern Saqqara. According to the statement, it contains "two funerary chapels belonging to two high officials, Younmin and his father, Ity". According to the UAB, the tomb has made it possible to learn about figures of great historical, social and cultural interest. For the archaeological team, the discovery also came as a surprise because of the richness and beauty of the monument. Among the most notable elements are a high-quality architrave and funerary texts tailored to the persona and offices of their owner. The Egyptian ministry also highlights the exceptional state of preservation of the scenes and reliefs, which show "agricultural activities and processions with offerings", and notes that many of them "have retained their original colours". The decoration also includes depictions of donkeys and other animals. According to the Egyptian authorities, the discovery "provides new and valuable data on the architecture, art and administrative life of ancient Egypt at the end of the Fifth Dynasty". The excavation sheds light on everyday life in the Saqqara necropolis Besides its historical and scientific value, the mastaba stands out for its beauty. Archaeologists believe that the double tomb may reflect Yunmen's social rise, the son of a provincial official who went on to hold a senior position in the central administration and wanted to share his funerary destiny with his father. The area had been known since the excavations carried out by Auguste Mariette in the 19th century, but it had never been studied and documented in depth. The research aimed to reconstruct the topography of Saqqara and to understand the necropolis as a living space, where ancient Egyptians brought offerings and worked continuously on the construction of funerary monuments. The goal is to understand how the necropolis was organised and operated, from its streets and squares to the movement of people and the rituals of worship. The analysis of maps and the reconstruction of the layout led the team to a previously unknown mastaba and to signs of two more nearby, which they hope to excavate in future campaigns.