News Report
Egyptian Tombs
Script
Archaeologist have uncovered two tombs that date back more than 2,500 years in the part of Cairo where the ancient city of Heliopolis once stood, according to Egyptian antiquity authorities.
Although there is a modern suburb of Heliopolis in Cairo southeast of its ancient namesake, the original Heliopolis was known as a center of learning and academic study in ancient Mediterranean times.
The 26-century-old tombs that date back to the years 664 to 625 BC were developed during a routine archaeological inspection of an empty plot of land in the Eins Shams district of northwestern Cairo. This district covers part of the ground that used to be the ancient city of Heliopolis.
The owner of the land was seeking construction rights and by law, construction cannot begin without a permit certifying that the site has no historical significance.
The first of the two limestone tombs to be opened contained a sarcophagus and sixteen statuettes, said the chief state archaeologist for the Cairo-Giza area, Zahi Hawass.
Hawass said in a statement that the tombs were found in a downtown residential area, three meters below the ground.
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Hawass went on to give a more detailed account of the important find.
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It appears that the tombs have not been raided by grave robbers, but they have been damaged by leaking sewage water.
The first tomb to be uncovered belonged to a builder named Waja-Hur. His name was engraved on the statuettes, which the ancient Egyptians placed in tombs to answer questions for them in the afterlife.
Te process of recovering these artifacts can be long and tedious, but the historical significance of these pieces makes the painstaking work worthwhile.
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Egyptian archaeologists plan to open the second tomb on Sunday.
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