Ancient Egyptian burial ground discovery among largest providing insight into the Middle Kingdom

One of the largest sites of Middle Kingdom tombs in all of Egypt that dates back 4,000 years has been discovered in a single field season expedition co-led by Sarah Parcak, Ph.D., archaeology professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The joint expedition between UAB and the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities revealed more than 800 Egyptian tombs at Lisht, an ancient burial ground.

The large collection of ancient burials at Lisht in Egypt could offer insights into life and death in the 
Middle Kingdom roughly 4,000 years ago [Credit: Sarah Parcak/National Geographic]

“We were able to gain insight into ancient Egyptian life from the tombs based on artifacts we found,” said Parcak, a professor in the UAB College of Arts and Sciences. “The Middle Kingdoms artifacts were looted, much like other sites we have seen. However, we learned more about the underground network of tombs that connect individuals to the afterlife.”

Before researchers extensivly mapped the ancient burial grounds, they started work excavating and restoring one of the
 elite tombs. A name inscribed on the structure revealed it was the tomb of Intef, head of the treasury under Senusret I.
 In this image, Reis Abu Hamid leads the 2017 excavation of this ancient structure 
[Credit: Sarah Parcak/National Geographic]

This offering table was found in Intef's tomb. Though the other tombs at the site were largely looted, researchers still hope
 to study the structures to gain insights into Middle Kingdom culture [Credit: Sarah Parcak/National Geographic]

The team found this brightly painted face in Intef's tomb while excavating the structure in December 2017. The presence 
of other rock-cut structures, similar to Intef's tomb, suggests the southern section of the site housed many elite 
members of the ancient society [Credit: Sarah Parcak/National Geographic]

Inscribed Middle Kingdom block from the tomb of Intef, Lisht, Egypt 
[Credit: Sarah Parcak/UAB]

This family shaft tomb from the southern part of Lisht is among the 802 newly 
mapped burial chambers [Credit: Sarah Parcak/National Geographic]

The Lisht ancient burial ground is part of excavations documenting tombs and collecting images and GPS coordinates to assemble a database for the region. National Geographic partially funds the work led by Parcak for this database, which answers questions about ancient Egyptian life.

Parcak will be presented the 2018 Lowell Thomas award at a dinner in October at The Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts. The award recognizes Parcak’s groundbreaking discoveries as an Egyptologist, such as the Lisht ancient burial ground and others.

Author: Alicia Rohan | Source: The University of Alabama at Birmingham [September 17, 2018]