The tomb of Khentakawess III, a long-forgotten Egyptian queen, has been recently recovered by a group of Czech archaeologists. The 4,500-year-old grave was found in Pharaoh Neferefre's funeral complex at the Abu-Sir necropolis, an Old Kingdom cemetery for the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis that was located southwest of Cairo. The tomb was believed to belong to Neferefre's wife or mother.
Previously a tomb of an unknown Egyptian queen, BBC News reported that it was the Egyptian Antiquities Minister Mamdouh el-Damaty, who found her name Khentakawess III inscribed on a wall in the necropolis thus identifying the excavated artifacts.
Khentakawess III is believed to be the wife of Pharaoh Neferefre, also known as Raneferef who ruled Egypt during the Fifth Dynasty. According to NBC News, the queen's name and rank were found inscribed on the walls of the tomb.
"This is the first time we have discovered the name of this queen, who had been unknown before the discovery of her tomb," Antiquities Minister Mamdouh al-Damaty said in a statement to Agence France-Presse. "This discovery will help us shed light on certain unknown aspects of the Fifth Dynasty, which along with the Fourth Dynasty, witnessed the construction of the first pyramids."
The Czech excavation team, who discovered the tomb of Khentakawess III, is currently led by Miroslav Barta of the Czech Institute of Egyptology. They have been working in Abu-Sir since 1976.
Meanwhile, the discovery of Khentakawess III's tomb was revealed on Sunday. It came after another unearthing from the age of the pharaohs, which includes a replica of the mythical god Osiris' grave.
Aside from the queen's grave, the Czech archaeologists added that they also found 30 utensils, with 24 made of limestones and 4 made of copper, The Daily Mail reported.
The mission that unearthed the 4,500-year-old grave of Khentakawess III was led by the Czech Institute of Egyptology, which is affiliated with Charles University in Prague, CNN reported. The group's leader, Miroslav Barta said that their latest discovery is just a proof that the Abu-Sir site is suitable for further research.
"This is another significant discovery in the last few years [that] have repeatedly confirmed that the Abu-Sir necropolis provides a number of unique sources for the reconstruction of major epochs of ancient Egyptian history," Barta said.
The Abu-Sir site, also known as the "site of the forgotten king," is located further south along the Nile River. The site is the area of crumbling pyramids and atrophying tombs.
Khentakawess III's tomb was only the latest discovery at Abu-Sir, an extensive necropolis that provides a spectacular sight into one of the lesser-studied ages of ancient Egypt. Though none compare to the towering accomplishments of earlier dynasties, Washington Post reported the site is anchored by 14 pyramids.
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