In the heart of Asyut, about 320 kilometers south of Cairo, a group of archaeologists unearthed a tomb that surprised the scientific world. The discovery belongs to Idaa priestess of the goddess Hathoralso known as the “Lady of the House”a title reserved for high-ranking women in Egyptian society. This is the daughter of Djefaihapi Igovernor of the Asyut region during the 12th dynasty, at the time of the pharaoh Senusret Iwho ruled from approximately 1971 to 1926 BC
The discovery was made after more than two decades of excavations, in a joint expedition between Egyptian and German researchers, and was discovered in 2023,inside a hidden chamber in his father’s tomb. One of the largest and most decorated tombs in the region, it is a monumental rock structure that measures 11 meters high, 28 meters deep and 229 feet (70 meters) wide.
It was an imposing funerary building, with rich details on its walls, which showed scenes from the governor’s life. Djefaihapi Ias well as inscriptions that recounted his journey to the afterlife. However, what was not known was that inside the tomb, behind a sealed stone wall, was a side compartment that housed the tomb of Idathe governor’s daughter, who remained hidden until her discovery.
The sealed process began in 2022, after a team of archaeologists from the Sohag University in Egypt and Free University of Berlin began the cleaning and exploration work in the tomb. Access to the burial chamber of Ida It involved digging a vertical shaft approximately 13 meters deep. The site, however, had not completely escaped the looters. Although the tomb was looted in ancient times, several key objects remained intact, providing valuable information about the funerary rites and the life of the priestess.
He find Most impressive was the presence of two coffins within the same tomb, a complex funerary structure that had never before been documented in that region. Both, made of imported wood, one inside the other, were described as “some of the most astonishing found so far,” according to Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
Throughout the excavation, archaeologists found valuable objects, such as a coffin lid, wooden figures which could represent Idy, and various rituals, including jars, where the priestess’s internal organs had been stored. These containers contained their livers, lungsintestines and spleen, reflecting the mummification process typical of the time, intended to preserve the body for life after death. She had been mummified, implying that her body was treated with salts and wrapping to ensure its preservation, a common ritual among the elites of Egyptian society.
Analysis of the priestess’s remains has revealed that she suffered from a congenital defect in one of her feet. Despite the damage suffered by looters to the tomb, Idy’s skeletal remains and clothing provide interesting details about her life.
The team led by Jochem Kahlprofessor of Egyptology at the Free University of Berlinexpressed the results obtained. Kahl stated to Daily Mail, that the discovery offers an “extraordinary new glimpse” into Egyptian culture, particularly regarding the influence of women and the religious background of the Middle Kingdom. These finds, like the texts on the coffins and figures, could shed new light on the complex relationship between life, death and the afterlife in ancient Egyptian society.
