Scientists have discovered a mysterious staircase leading to a tomb, which could be the resting place of an Egyptian princess located beneath a small cliff on the west bank of the Nile River.
According to Heritage Daily, initial estimates suggest that the tomb may belong to the Eighteenth Dynasty (circa 1550 – 1292 BCE), which is part of the New Kingdom period of ancient Egypt.
This dynasty is also known as the Thutmosid Dynasty, referencing four pharaohs named Thutmose, and it is the era during which some of Egypt’s most famous pharaohs, such as Hatshepsut, Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten, and Tutankhamun, ruled.
The excavation site of the mysterious tomb likely belonging to an Egyptian princess – (Photo: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)
The tomb is hidden at the foot of a small cliff on the west bank of the Nile, in the Valley of the Queens. A research team, collaborating between the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt and the University of Cambridge (UK), discovered stone steps leading down to a burial chamber.
The “chamber” is carefully constructed but in poor condition due to multiple floods from ancient times that have caused damage. Sediments of limestone and sand deposited by the floods have severely harmed the engravings and interiors, making it difficult for scientists to determine exactly who is buried there.
However, they remain hopeful that as the mummified remains and burial goods—potentially revealed gradually as the sediment is removed—will provide more information.
Initial conclusions suggest that the tomb may belong to a royal family member of modest rank, for example, a princess of the Thutmosid line or the wife of one of the pharaoh’s sons.
