[CRUNCH] 10 AMAZING Egypt Discoveries 2021
So much of the ancient Egyptian Civilization remains uncovered to this day and every year
we get to see more and more amazing discoveries be made about it. Welcome to [channel], and
here are 10 AMAZING Egypt Discoveries in 2021:
10. Tombs of Saqqara (thumbnail)
The tombs of Saqqara are one the greatest archeological discoveries made in Egypt during
the 21st century. The site of Saqqara, as you’ll see throughout this video, has turned
out to be a goldmine of rediscovery and this one is no different. The Saqqara necropolis
is over 2,500 years old, and in late 2020, a team of archaeologists discovered a cache
of over 80 coffins that taught us more about how ancient Egyptians buried their dead. Most
of these coffins had mummies inside of them, and along with the coffins, some statues made
from stone and gold were also discovered. This comes just weeks after an additional
60 coffins were found on the same site, leading to Saqqara being deemed the most important
archaeological site in Egypt at the moment.
9. New Queen Discovered
Sometimes archaeological discoveries can change history as we knew it. Once again, this discovery
has been made by the same team that’s excavating the site at Saqqara necropolis. Among the
many tombs and mummies that are constantly discovered here, one of the discoveries that
came as a shock to everyone was the discovery of a 4,000 year old Queen. Sitting adjacent
to the pyramid of Pharaoh King Teti, who was previously only thought to have had two wives,
a tomb containing another queen was found. After extensive research on the tomb, it was
finally determined as the tomb of a mysterious third wife of King Teti that we don’t know
much about at all. From the way she was buried, it seemed like she was just as big of a deal
as his other two wives despite not much historical record of her existence.
8. El-Assasif cache
Saqqara is not the only site in Egypt with many tombs being constantly discovered. Near
the modern and ancient city of Luxor, an ancient necropolis was discovered just a few years
ago that is now called the El-Asasif necropolis or the El-Assasif cache. When it was discovered
in 2019, it was touted as the largest ancient Egyptian discovery in over a century. There
were two underground levels with the first level containing 18 coffins and the second
level containing 12 coffins, making a total of 30 coffins found. The coffins were very
well preserved and were made completely of wood with elaborate designs that even told
a story about those who were buried there. The coffins contained all kinds of people
including women, men, and children. With discoveries like this and the tombs of Saqqara, who knows
how many more will be found.
7. 5,000 year-old brewery
Ancient Egyptians were apparently heavy drinkers, especially the royals. Ancient Egyptians made
over 17 different types of beer and at least 24 different types of wine, with every class
in society having its own variety. Beer was considered such an essential drink that laborers
working on the pyramids were even allocated a ration of beer every day. It was also used
in ancient burial rituals, which is why it’s no surprise that the world’s oldest brewery
was found near a necropolis in Egypt. The brewery, which is estimated by being over
5,000 years old, had at least 8 different vaults that had about 40 massive earthenware
pots each. It seemed to function very similarly to a modern brewery and could produce thousands
of liters of beers a day when it was running, enough to be able to cater to up to 40,000
people.
6. Tuna el-Gabal mummies
Mummies are probably the most iconic aspect of ancient Egypt and more and more mummies
are being discovered, but most of them are in rough condition due to the harsh terrains
they’re usually found in with no efforts to preserve them having been made for thousands
of years. This is why archaeologists were very excited when a cache of over 40 mummies
was found in the Tuna al Gabal necropolis in Middle Egypt, all of which were in excellent
condition. A number of other discoveries were made alongside the mummies, including priceless
works of pottery, art, statues, and wooden coffins that were similar to the ones we’ve
already mentioned. One interesting thing about this discovery was that children were buried
much deeper than adults were, often as deep as 30 feet into the ground.
5. Khuwy Tomb
Going back, once again, to a Saqqara discovery. In 2019, a team of archaeologists led by Mohamed
Megahed managed to discover a tomb that belonged to an important man in the region named Khuwy.
Khuwy was a nobleman from the 5th dynasty and acted as a high-ranking judge who was
very respected by the Egyptians, which is why he had a tomb so elaborate. The tomb was
a massive structure with a large l-shaped room for people to give their offerings to
the ancient Egyptian gods with extravagant decorations all around. The design is quite
similar to that of royal tombs found around Egypt, which means that even non-royal nobles
probably lived a very lavish life in ancient Egypt that was comparable to that of high-ranking
members of the royal families.
4. Ancient Christian Settlement
While this discovery is much more recent than those of the ancient Egyptian civilization,
Egypt’s post-civilization history can sometimes be just as fascinating as those made from
the civilization. In 2021, deep inside Egypt’s Bahariya Oasis, archaeologists who were looking
for ancient Egyptian treasures actually wound up discovering one of the oldest Christian
settlements in Africa. Dating back to the 5th century AD, the settlement consisted of
a large monastery with several buildings made of basalt, some of them made of brick and
others having been carved into the bedrock itself. Ruins of three separate churches were
found, while the other buildings were mostly places for monks to stay. This is considered
one of the most important finds to better understand the history of Coptic Christians
that live in modern-day Egypt to this day.
3. Umm Al-Khalegan tombs
To end off the large numbers of tombs being found all over Egypt, one of the biggest discoveries
of the past year has been the uncovering of over 100 ancient tombs on the Umm Al-Khalegan
site in the Dakahlia governorate of Egypt. The tombs are from many different time periods
and include five from the Naqada III era, 37 tombs from the Second Intermediate Period
era, and 68 tombs dating back to the Boto I and II eras. The Boto era tombs were in
a rounded shape and the deceased were shown lying to their left in each coffin. Aside
from the tombs, there were also bodies of newborn children found inside pots, as they
were too small to warrant their own coffins. There was also a sort of brick factory found
nearby which likely was used to make bricks for the many tombs that are found in the area.
2. Sacred Animals Cache
Ancient Egypt has a long and strange history with animals. It was quite common to keep
exotic animals as pets by the elite of that era, and many ancient Egyptians have even
been buried alongside their pets. Some animals, such as cats, were sacred and even worshipped
by the ancient Egyptians. Despite their status, it was a surprise to archaeologists when they
came across an entire cemetery that entirely consisted of sacred animals that included
dozens of mummified cats, cows, and crocodiles. There were also statues of cats, made of wood
and bronze, found on the site, and 75 of them have been uncovered so far. Additionally,
there were plenty of other unique statues found there, including a statue of an ibex
and two statues of two women with a cobra head. No one really knows what these statues
represent, but it shows the immense respect ancient Egyptians had for animals.
1. Egyptian Pompeii
And finally, arguably the most amazing ancient Egyptian discovery that was made in 2021 is
the uncovering of a city that strikingly resembles Pompeii in Italy. Archaeologists had a vague
idea of a city like this existing somewhere near the city of Luxor and had been on the
lookout for many years, and in 2021, they finally found it. It was built over 3400 years
ago during the reign of Amenhotep III, one of the most powerful rulers in the history
of Egypt. All kinds of discoveries relating to daily life in the city were discovered,
including the houses of nobles and peasants alike, how the streets were planned, markets,
and much more. The city is thought to have been an important industrial city for ancient
Egypt, producing much of the Empire’s glass.
Those were the 10 AMAZING Egypt Discoveries that fascinate us in 2021! Make sure to leave
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