Introduction

Egypt is a land of archaeological grandeur. Thus, it always fascinates us. So, every year, dedicated archaeological missions uncover the hidden treasures of ancient Egypt through their excavations. The same thing is applicable to the year 2020. Thus, this essay will discuss the first discovery of this mysterious land in 2020.

The present discovery

The Ministry of Antiquities announced the present discovery. It took place in the village of Tuna-al-Jabal in the Minya Governorate of the country. Mostafa-al Waziri is the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. He led the archaeological mission. It led to a great discovery as the team finally uncovered a total number of 16 tombs. So it gave a boost to the archaeological investigations in Egypt in 2020.

The Antiquity of the Tombs

Hermopolis was the 15th Nome of Upper or southern Egypt. El-Ashmunein was the capital of this nome. Most of the tombs of this burial site belong to the officials of this nome. Some tombs also belong to the high priests of God Djehuty. These tombs contain a great number of valuable artifacts.

God Djehuty

Djehuty was the god of the moon and time in ancient Egypt. His alternative and the widely known name is Thoth. The name ‘Djehuty’ is the Greek version. People worshipped him as the principal deity of Khemenu in Middle Egypt.

The uncovered Sarcophagi

Archaeologists uncovered a total number of 20 sarcophagi from the site. They are not uniform in size and shape. They also vary in the use of raw material used for their manufacture. These are stone and wood.

There are 5 limestone anthropoid sarcophagi and the others are made out of wood. Both types are equally important in terms of epigraphy. Because they bear hieroglyphic inscriptions carved on them. The mission also recovers over 10,000 green and blue colored Ushabti ornaments from the site. So it is a significant discovery.

The Revival of the tourism industry

The revival of the tourism industry is one of the major factors which boosted this mission. This discovery took place in Minya Governorate. This region reflected its archaeological potentiality through several findings. It has been since the year 2018. So, it pushed the Ministry to lead more archaeological missions in the region. Because the Ministry believes that it will help Miya to become an attractive tourist spot in Egypt. So it will be helpful in growing the economy also. Thus, the Ministry will continue this type of mission in this region in the future also.