14 DAY TRIAL // A team of archaeologists has recently announced the discovery of the mummified remains of about 50 people in a tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. The researchers say that, according to evidence at hand, these people were all Egyptian royals.
Information shared with the public says that the tomb inside which these mummies were found is known as KV 40 and sits close to the city of Luxor.
It is estimated to be about 3,300 years old, and archaeologists have reasons to believe that it has until now been plundered several times, and that robbers even set it on fire at one point.
Thus, no wood or gold has been discovered inside the tomb. On the contrary, all researchers have discovered were textiles, human remains, and some inscriptions.
“The remains and the walls have been heavily affected by a fire that was most likely ignited by the torches of the tomb raiders,” described Egyptologist Susanne Bickel, as cited by Science News.
Egyptologists with the University of Basel in Switzerland, who have been exploring KV 40 for almost three years, explain that the tomb is made up of a shaft, a corridor, and four chambers.
The shaft is about 16 feet (roughly 5 meters) deep, and it leads to the underground burial rooms. Of the four chambers that have been unearthed, one is central, and three are adjacent to it.
The University of Basel researchers detail that it was in these four chambers that they stumbled upon the mummified remains of the Egyptian royals. Of the at least 50 people who were put to rest in KV 40, some appear to have died at a very early age.
More precisely, the archaeologists claim that several of these mummies belong to children. “We discovered a remarkable number of carefully mummified newborns and infants that would have normally been buried much simpler,” researcher Susanne Bickel said in a statement.
Based on inscriptions found inside the tomb, Egyptologists have determined that some of these people were princes and princesses, and that as many as 30 of them were related to pharaohs Thutmose IV and Amenhotep III, who both ruled in the 14 century BC.
“We believe that the family members of the royal court were buried in this tomb for a period of several decades,” Professor Susanne Bickel told the press in a recent interview.
Archaeologists say that, by exploring tombs in the Valley of the Kings, they can gain a better understanding of Egyptian society in ancient days. Specifically, they can determine who was privileged enough to be buried close to a pharaoh.