Chapter 160 The Shocked Archaeology Master

The Egyptian pyramids are the tombs of the pharaohs, but pyramids are not the only places that contain ancient tombs.

Just next to the entrance of the Menkaure Pyramid, a few hundred meters away and two meters underground, archaeologists discovered the ruins of a temple and ancient tombs.

It feels a bit like a burial tomb.

But it also seems that later people deliberately buried him next to Pharaoh Menkara in order to gain the favor of Pharaoh Menkara.

We won’t know exactly what’s inside until we dig it out.

Ordinary Egyptian ancient tombs are typical shaft tombs.

When building the ancient tomb, they dug sand and used stones to build a square well. The well was large enough for six adults to pass through at the same time.

After the well is dug several meters underground, it will start to turn at a right angle and dig to the side, and finally the entire tomb chamber will be in an "L" shape.

The mummy's coffin lies at the innermost part of the tomb.

After filling an ancient tomb like this with sand, the effort required to rob it is almost the same as digging a new tomb.

Therefore, it is basically not visited by tomb robbers.

Besides, there is a pyramid next door. Who would leave the pharaoh's tomb untouched instead of digging sand here?
……

The person in charge of the excavation is called Ashraf, an official archaeologist.

There were also four migrant workers on site responsible for digging sand, and two graduate students from the Faculty of Archaeology at Cairo University.

Today, Mr. Zahi Hawass, the father of Egyptian archaeology, a leader in the industry, an absolute authority, and the owner of the final right of interpretation of ancient Egyptian artifacts, will come to this site for inspection.

This tomb was dug to the bottom several days ago. If we dig a little further to the side, we can see the mummy's coffin.

This is no small matter for the Egyptian archaeological community, because no one knows who was buried next to the pharaoh.

Logically speaking, they should be high-ranking officials and nobles at that time.

But what kind of official was he? What kind of treasures were buried with him?
The mummy of Pharaoh Menkaure accidentally sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean while being transported back to Britain in the 19th century, and nothing was left.

So this ancient tomb, strictly speaking, is not only an independent tomb, but also has profound significance for the study of the social outlook during the reign of Pharaoh Menkaure.

For this reason, Ashraf stopped working for three days just to wait for his boss's schedule.

As expected, Zahi Hawass did not disappoint him. When he came, he brought reporters from more than a dozen TV stations and newspapers.

After all, he is a leading figure in the Egyptian archaeological community. Whenever he appears, it basically represents a major national archaeological discovery.

Ashraf looked at the crowd of reporters with full energy.

He hurriedly urged his men to work, including the two graduate students from Cairo University, who were treated like oxen and horses and were working hard to push a two-wheeled cart to transport the excavated sand.

After digging for a full hour, the workers underground sent back a message that the mummy's coffin had been completely cleaned out.

"Then use a rope to lift it out." Hawass directed from the side.

The old man was about to explode with heat. He just wanted to quickly hold on to the mummy's coffin, pose for a few photos in front of the camera, and then go back to enjoy the air conditioning.

With his instructions, Ashraf commanded more vigorously.

He stood right next to the shaft, swearing and urging people in the dialect of the suburbs of Cairo.

He was completely unaware that the two graduate students' eyes were filled with resentment.

This is their job, so they know what they will dig out from underneath.

But they know better that according to Egyptian law, anyone doing archaeological work in Egypt who wants to publish their research results must first submit an application to the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities.

With Hawass here, the news here will definitely be blocked unless the Queen of England is dug out.

So if it were just this, it would not be enough to vent their anger for being treated like cattle and horses for more than a year.

In order to make the whole work go viral and "repay" Ashraf, they installed cameras under the beams of the awning in the distance before Hawass arrived.

Now I have started live streaming on Tiktok.

When the mummy was lifted out with ropes, the coffin was immediately moved under the awning. "It's so beautiful. The painted coffin of this mummy is so beautiful."

Hawass faced the camera and began to create propaganda materials for the reporters present:
"I have been studying ancient Egyptian artifacts since I was 16 years old, and this wooden coffin ranks among the top five in my entire career."

"Where can other countries find such a beautiful wooden coffin?"

"But Mr. Hawass, according to our statistics, there are already seven of the top five mummies you mentioned. Which two were eliminated?" a reporter asked.

"This reporter from Al-Ahram Daily is an honest man. Come, ask him to leave."

"Okay, now you can ask questions. We will open the casket on site in ten minutes."

Hawass gestured to the reporters to come in.

There is no script. You can ask whatever you want, but the report cannot be sent out without my signature.

"Mr. Hawass, why is the painting on this mummy's coffin a bird's head?"

"It's obvious that this reporter didn't learn his history lessons well. This painting is of Thoth, the ancient Egyptian god of wisdom and learning."

“He invented the ancient Egyptian writing system.”

"Although... the image of the god Thoth on this wooden coffin is not so common, but that's why it is a new archaeological discovery!"

As Hawass spoke, he began to admire himself a little.

I didn't expect that this could make me come back to myself.

This god Thoth is not really drawn like him, but that’s a good thing, as it enriches the image of the Egyptian gods.

In fact, Zhang Yang also had something to say. It was not that his painting did not resemble the animal, but that he painted a chicken head.

The god Thoth has a heron head.

There is a big difference between these two animals.

"Mr. Hawass, why is the canopic jar corresponding to this mummy so small?"

A reporter pointed to a staff member walking over not far away, holding a few small canopic jars.

As for the chicken offal, Zhang Yang certainly wouldn’t use a jar that’s too big, otherwise it would be such a waste.

The size is slightly larger than Jiang Xiaobai's bottle.

Hawass's eyelids couldn't help twitching when he saw such a small jar.

No, what is this?

Why is the mummy's internal organs so small? It's really weird, right?

Hawass frowned and looked at Ashraf who was in charge of the excavation work next to him.

The scrutiny in his eyes was obvious.

If there were no reporters present, he would have wanted to ask this person:
Did you fake it again?
You guys weren’t satisfied with the fake “Six Geese Picture” in the Egyptian Museum before, and you want to ruin my reputation, right?
Or should we all just stop living?

Ashraf felt aggrieved after being glared at. Looking at such a small jar, he slapped his head and thought of the biggest possibility.

"Is it possible that the mummy inside is a baby who died young? For example, it could be the Pharaoh's beloved prince!"

"So the corresponding canopic jar is so small?"

"Well, it's very likely." Hawass nodded and said, "Prepare to open the coffin."

"See what's inside."

"Don't rush to open the coffin!" A reporter interrupted: "Mr. Hawass, there are so many hieroglyphs on the coffin that record the life of the deceased. Can you explain it to us?"

"Explain? Come, take this reporter away too!"

(End of this chapter)