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A desert tomb became a watery grave for some 50 to 60 ancient Egyptians at the ancient Nile quarry site ofGebel el - Silsila , in Upper Egypt .
Archaeologists announce the breakthrough of the mass tomb Dec. 13 . They discovered the tomb almost two years ago , but the dig has been conscientious . The two chamber are filled with brackish piddle from a by nature occur springiness , and the stiff inside are jumbled . To excavate the grave , archaeologist must bunk pumps to slay enough water so they can posture and lightly hand - sieve the mud for bones and artifacts .
A tiny sarcophagus made for an infant sits in the flooded tomb.
" We ’re actually sitting in this soup , so to speak , ofhuman remains , " sound out John Ward , the adjunct mission director of the Gebel El - Silsila survey project , which is headed by his wife , Maria Nilsson . " You ca n’t see in the piss at all , so everything is done by skin senses . " [ See Photos of artifact from the Watery Grave ]
Unusual tomb
Gebel el - Silsila sits at a minute part of the Nile some 40 miles ( 65 kilometers ) north of Aswan . It was a major quarry land site dating back to the 18th Dynasty of Egypt , about 3,550 year ago .
The newly key tomb dates back to that era , Ward assure Live Science . It sits at the bottom of a 16.5 - foundation - deep ( 5 meters ) diaphysis hewn out of the bedrock . The grave is made up of two William Chambers , but archaeologists have n’t been able-bodied to get at the second bedchamber yet because it ’s fill up with debris and silt .
In the main sleeping accommodation alone , though , investigator have found three sarcophagi . One contained the stiff of a nipper ; the other an babe . The third is also babe - sized , but has not yet been fully studied , Ward say . [ Photos : Children ’s Graves Discovered in Ancient Egypt ]
Around these sarcophagi were the bones of at least 50 other people , about two - thirds adults and one - third children . The remains are confuse , Ward say , because of the piss flow into the grave and because of a failed attempt at robbery , which , at some point , disturbed the silt and water .
Mystery grave
All of the other tombs at Gebel el - Silsila have been looted , so discovering one with all its contents inside is " like Christmas every day , " Ward tell — if Christmas involve sit in a humid underground chamber sloshing around muddy , os - fill weewee , anyway . The gist of turn up under such condition is otherworldly , Ward said . " It ’s humbling . "
An examination of the ivory in the grave revealed that many of the adult males show sign of broken bones and back trouble , indicating that they were probable quarry manual laborer . The women and child at heart may have been family member : One clear discovery from the Gebel el - Silsila project is thatthe prey was the site of a thriving community , not just a man camp populated by worker .
The newfound tomb also indicate that these workers were n’t slave . The physical structure were encounter with amulets , including shabtis — minor statuette buried with the dead to act as their own manual laborers in the afterlife . Slaves would n’t have been bury with shabtis , Ward say .
The investigator are now analyze the third sarcophagus and carry on to sieve through the silty tomb . With meter , they be after to unearth the 2d room as well .
" We ’re essay to figure out why so many people were buried in one place , " Ward said .
earlier published onLive Science .
