Most of the ancient Egyptian tombs were looted and little was left from them. This is why the discovery of Tutankhamun's intact tomb in 1922 caused such a sensation. And now, after more than 80 years, it has happened again. Another intact tomb was discovered in the Valley of the Kings.
There are five mummies in their intact sarcophagi and they appear to be from the 18th dynasty from around the same period as Tutankhamun. Insofar archeologists haven't identified the mummies and it isn't
certain they are royalties. During the 18th dynasty, which lasted from 1567 BC to 1320 BC, Egypt was at its height of power.
It is interesting to note that as Egypt got more and more prosperous, more and more aristocrats started to be buried in a similar way the pharaohs were buried. This is why for instance the pyramids got smaller and smaller - because the resources began to be more and more widespread among the aristocrats and the pharaoh got a smaller share of the "pie". So, it is quite possible that the newly discovered tomb does not contain a royalty. The discovery is nonetheless incredible.
Besides the five sarcophagi, which have colored funerary masks, the tomb also contains a large number of big storage jars. "For an unknown reason they were buried rapidly in the small tomb," said to Reuters one of the archeologists who found the tomb.
The tomb managed to remain undiscovered for so long, undiscovered even by looters, because in the latter 19th dynasty, around a century after the tomb was sealed, workmen's huts were built on top of it.
The tomb was found by a team of archeologists from the University of Memphis in the United States. Egyptian authorities are planning a media event at the site tomorrow and more information will be available then.
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