Ancient Egyptian Royal Tomb Uncovered in Sohag

Archaeologists have uncovered a 3,700-year-old royal tomb in Abydos, shedding light on a little-documented dynasty that ruled Upper Egypt between 1700 and 1600 BCE. The discovery, made by an Egyptian-American team from the University of Pennsylvania, was found seven metres underground in the Gebel Anubis necropolis of Sohag Governorate.

The tomb features a limestone burial chamber, once covered by mudbrick vaults standing five metres high. Inscriptions depict the ancient Egyptian goddesses Isis and Nephthys flanking the entrance, alongside faded hieroglyphic texts that originally recorded the king’s name. While the tomb owner’s identity remains uncertain, archaeologists are exploring possible connections to King Senebkay, whose burial was discovered in Abydos in 2014.

Abydos, a major religious and burial site since ancient times, was home to the Abydos Dynasty, a group of rulers independent from Thebes during the Second Intermediate Period. The necropolis at Gebel Anubis was particularly significant, with 12th Dynasty King Senusret III choosing to be buried beneath its naturally pyramid-shaped mountain—an architectural tradition that later Abydos rulers continued.

Meanwhile, a separate Egyptian mission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities has unearthed a Roman pottery workshop in Banaweet, Sohag. The site, one of the largest known production centres in the region, contains kilns, storage areas, and 32 ostraca inscribed in Demotic and Greek, revealing insights into ancient trade and taxation.

Evidence suggests the site was repurposed as a burial ground between the 7th and 14th centuries CE, with mudbrick tombs, human remains, and family burials uncovered. Among the findings was a child mummy wearing a woven cap, along with the skull of a woman in her thirties and remnants of wheat, barley, and doum palm fruit, offering clues about agricultural practices in the region.