Ongoing archaeological excavations at a necropolis on the Nile River’s west bank have uncovered a plethora of previously unrecorded individuals and ancient Egyptian artifacts, the Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry announced on Friday.
The excavations, which began in November 2025, are taking place in the area of Draʻ Abu el-Naga’s necropolis, located on the Luxor West Bank in Egypt.
It has been focused on the southeastern part of the tomb of Roy, an 18th Dynasty royal scribe and his wife, which has been covered in debris from archaeological missions from over a century ago.
In the courtyard between the tomb of Roy and the nearby tomb of Baki, archaeologists have discovered a collection of 10 wooden coffins hidden within a burial shaft. All 10 were found to be in good condition, bearing a variety of scenes and texts.
According to preliminary studies, four of the coffins date to the 18th Dynasty, including one bearing the name of Merit, believed to be a chantress of Amun.
A second coffin, dating to the Ramesside period (the 19th and 20th Dynasty periods), bears the name Padi-Amun (“he who Amun gave”), who was a priest in the Temple of Amun.
The remaining coffins dated to the Late Period of Egypt, circa 664–332 BCE, which encompassed the 26th-31st dynasties.
Several of the mummies had been damaged ahead of their reburial, indicated that the remains had possibly been disturbed in antiquity. This lead researchers to believe that the burial shaft had been used to protect the coffins after they’d been moved from their original burial places.
New tomb belonging to priest of Amun found
The Egyptian mission also discovered a previously unknown tomb belonging to a “purification priest of the Temple of Amun,” named Aa-Shefi-Nakhtu.
The newly unearthed tomb is located in the southern corner of Baki’s courtyard, and includes a small open courtyard, a rectangular shaft, an offering chamber decorated with funerary texts and scnes of offering, and a burial chamber.
Inscriptions inside the tomb detail Aa-Shefi-Nakhtu’s father, named Padi-Amun, who held the same title of purification priest. They also include the names of two women, Isis and Ta-Kaft, who are described as Chantresses of Amun.
In a third tomb, numbered DP91, archaeologists uncovered a sandstone pyramidion bearing the name of its suspected owner, Benji, who was a “scribe and noble,” and depicting him in a devotional pose.
Benji’s original tomb has yet to be found.
Mohamed Abdel Badie, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that the find suggests that Benji’s tomb could be located nearby, and that it had originally been topped by a mudbrick pyramid that was destroyed over time.
The individuals discovered in the tombs haven’t ever been mentioned in historical sources, according to Abdelghaffar Wagdy, director-general of Luxor Antiquities.
“The inscriptions uncovered within them have also documented new titles and functions mentioned for the first time,” he said.
Over 30 mummified cats unearthed at necropolis
Buried, mummified animals, including over 30 mummified wild and domestic cats, were also discovered within layers of debris south of the tomb of Baki.
According to researchers, the burial likely dates to the Ptolemaic period, when animal mummies were offered as symbolic offerings for protection, before being buried in small pits upon completion of the religious ritual or celebration.
This discovery “reflects the richness of the archaeological site and the diversity of the finds uncovered, as well as the wide range of periods to which they belong,” the ministry stated.
Wagdy went on to note that the artifacts and tombs are currently being restored and preserved as the excavations are continued.