A Spanish-Italian archaeological team says it has discovered an ancient replica of the tomb associated with Osiris, the god of the dead, in Egypt's Sheikh Abd El-Qurna necropolis. The multi-level structure is thought to have been built sometime between 750 B.C. and 525 B.C. (25th or 26th Dynasty), based in part on its architectural similarity to the Osiris tomb at the Temple of Seti I in Abydos, also known as the Osireion.
The find was announced this week by the Egyptian Antiquities Ministry and the Min Project, a venture involving Spanish and Italian archaeologists. The tomb complex is said to include a large hall supported by five pillars, with a staircase leading down to a central temple with a carving of Osiris. A funerary chamber to the west of the temple reportedly features reliefs of guardian demons brandishing knives. Still more passageways go tens of meters (yards) farther underground, and the bottom two chambers are still filled with debris. For more about the discovery, check out the accounts from Ancient Origins and Luxor Times Magazine, as well as a Spanish-language report from the EFE news service.
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