Ancient ‘well’ found in Egypt turns out to be entrance of forgotten tomb, photos show
Sifting through the sands of the Egyptian desert, archaeologists looked for the telltale signs of ancient ruins. One ancient “well” caught their attention — and turned out to be the entrance of a forgotten tomb.
A joint team of Egyptian and Japanese archaeologists returned to Saqqara archaeological site for another season of excavations, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a Jan. 4 Facebook post. This year, they focused on the site’s eastern slope where they’d previously uncovered an ancient cemetery.
The team wasn’t disappointed.
Excavations uncovered four tombs dating back at least 4,600 years, officials said. Two of these ancient tombs were made of mud bricks. The others were carved into the rock with an above-ground structure and a well, or vertical shaft, leading into the burial chamber.
Photos shared by Egyptian officials on Facebook Jan. 7 show two of these ancient “well”-shaped tombs from above. Another photo shows a view into one of the shafts. A partially exposed hole is visible in the one corner and likely leads into the burial chamber.
Nearby, archaeologists unearthed 10 more burials dating back at least 3,200 years, officials said. These more recent burials confirmed Saqqara was used as a cemetery for over a millennium.
Archaeologists also worked on cleaning the underground tunnels of a Greco-Roman catacomb previously found at the site. During this work, the team uncovered mummified human remains and other artifacts.
Photos show a few of the ancient artifacts unearthed at Saqqara. One item looks like a ceramic bird cage. Two others look like drinking glasses.
Archaeologists plan to return to Saqqara and continue excavations. The Saqqara archaeological site is about 15 miles southwest of Cairo.
Google Translate was used to translate the Facebook posts from Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
This story was originally published January 7, 2025 at 10:31 AM with the headline "Ancient ‘well’ found in Egypt turns out to be entrance of forgotten tomb, photos show."
