2,500-year-old tombs unearthed near iconic Egyptian temple. See their treasures
Standing in front of the Ramesseum Temple in Luxor, Egypt, visitors find themselves dwarfed by the size of the ruins, their eyes drawn to the larger-than-life statues and decorative carvings. But archaeologists recently found themselves more interested in the temple’s surroundings — and for good reason.
Their excavations unearthed several 2,500-year-old tombs with hundreds of treasures.
A joint team of Egyptian and French archaeologists returned to the Ramesseum for their 34th year of work at the site, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in an April 4 Facebook post. Over the decades, their efforts have ranged from restoration projects to excavations to in-depth analysis of the temple, dedicated to the pharaoh Ramses II, or Ramses the Great.
This time, archaeologists focused on excavating the area around the main temple ruins. Their finds revealed more about the temple’s functions and daily life surrounding it.
Northeast of the temple, the team unearthed a large number of tombs from the Third Intermediate Period, an era that ended 2,500 years ago, officials said. Most of these tombs had a burial chamber and shaft-like structure.
Photos show one of these ruined tombs and some of the artifacts found inside.
The finds included several canopic jars, a type of decorative jar used for holding the preserved organs of mummified individuals, and over 400 ushabti figures, a type of small statue usually carved to look like the deceased, archaeologists said.
Other excavations north of Ramesseum Temple uncovered storage areas for olive oil, honey and wine, where archaeologists found wine jar labels, officials said.
To the east of the temple, archaeologists found some ruins likely used as administrative buildings. Elsewhere, they unearthed traces of weaving workshops, stonemasonry workshops, kitchens and bakeries.
These finds suggest Ramesseum was not just a religious center but also a hub for storing and redistributing goods, archaeologists said.
Inside the temple, archaeologists found traces of an ancient scientific school, known as the House of Life, with toys and partial drawings. Officials did not provide photos of these finds.
Archaeologists plan to continue excavations at the Ramesseum Temple, located in Luxor and a roughly 400-mile drive south of Cairo.
Google Translate and Facebook Translate were used to translate the Facebook post from Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
This story was originally published April 4, 2025 at 12:38 PM with the headline "2,500-year-old tombs unearthed near iconic Egyptian temple. See their treasures."
