On December 16, a team of French Egyptologists discovered a reburied Middle Kingdom sarcophagus at the Luxor complex, at the very end of their two-month mission, according to La Croix.
"The sarcophagus was located on the 16th [of December] at the moment I was preparing my end-of-campaign report and when it was time to collect the site and the material," said Frédéric Colin, director of the Institute of Egyptology at the University of Strasbourg, as reported by Milenio. Colin stated that the discovery is "remarkable" in several respects.
The excavation campaign was organized jointly by members of the University of Strasbourg and the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology (IFAO). The most recent mission aimed to "better understand the nature and importance of the discoveries from 2018 and 2019," indicated Colin, according to Ámbito Financiero.
In the excavations of 2018 and 2019, five New Kingdom sarcophagi dating from the 14th century to the 9th century BCE were discovered. These sarcophagi were already reburials, confirming that reinterments were common and demonstrating Luxor's importance in funerary management, according to La República.
Colin noted that the newly discovered sarcophagus had been reinterred as part of a systematic process, similar to the five sarcophagi found in previous excavations, according to La República.
According to La Croix, the sarcophagus, dating from the Middle Kingdom period (late 21st century to late 18th century BCE), was protected in a custom-built wooden chest. Researchers have only skimmed the layer where the coffin was located; its excavation will resume at the beginning of the next campaign in October 2025, at which time they will analyze the contents of the sarcophagus in collaboration with archaeothanatologists, according to Milenio.
Colin explained that the discovery provides insight into an important anthropological question regarding how ancient Egyptians managed tombs and the mummified bodies of their ancestors during changes in the funerary landscape, according to La República. "This allows us to understand the funerary practices and the reasons behind the relocation of tombs during major public reforms," he stated.
According to La Croix, a set of stratified layers measuring over eight meters in depth, accumulated over more than 3,000 years, was excavated over three campaigns, totaling more than six months of fieldwork.
Experts are investigating whether the discovered sarcophagi are part of an organized system or represent isolated practices. The Middle Kingdom is known for the rise of architectural reforms and social changes in ancient Egypt.
The contents of the sarcophagus will be studied in 2025 in collaboration with archaeoanthropologists, modeling all stages of the research in 3D, as the team has been doing since 2018, reported Ámbito Financiero. The archaeologists hope that this technology will help reveal details about the person buried, as well as the social and cultural context of their reinterment.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.