A total of five tombs were unearthed by archeologists in the ancient necropolis of Saqqara in Cairo, Egypt. The burials were estimated to be over 4,000 years old, with some dating back to Egypt’s Old Kingdom (2700 B.C. to 2200 B.C.). Well-decorated walls with hieroglyphs surround the area where the gravesites were discovered. In addition, figurines, pottery, and wooden and limestone coffins were discovered.
Each tomb held corpses of important people in the palace, such as regional rulers, priests, and senior palace officials, according to Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
Image credit: Simon Berger