An international team of archaeologists led by Professor Jochem Kahl from Freie Universität Berlin has made an incredible discovery in the necropolis of Asyut, Egypt. Researchers discovered the burial chamber of the ancient Egyptian priestess Idy, daughter of the regional governor Djefaihapi I, in a previously inaccessible section of his monumental tomb from around 1880 BCE. Unearthed after twenty years of fieldwork, the find is being hailed as a significant archaeological discovery.

According to the inscriptions on her coffins, Idy was a priestess of the goddess Hathor and held the honorific title of “Lady of the House,” which indicates that she came from a prominent family. Her grave was located in a side chamber closed off by a quarry stone wall in a vertical shaft about fourteen meters deep within the tomb of Djefaihapi I. While the chamber was ransacked by thieves in antiquity, most of Idy’s grave goods thankfully remain untouched.

Among the most exciting discoveries are two elaborately decorated coffins made from imported wood that fit into each other. Both coffins are adorned with unusually intricate images and texts describing the journey of the deceased in the afterlife. The decorations on the inside and outside of the coffins are more detailed than comparable objects from the same period and reflect the outstanding quality of the paintings and inscriptions at the tomb of Idy’s father. In particular, the wealth of texts – among them religious texts known as Coffin Texts, offering lists, and titles – will allow new insights into the position of women and the transfer of knowledge in ancient Egypt.

Other grave goods include wooden figurines, a dagger, pharaonic insignia, and food offerings. Another inscribed chest contained canopic jars, which were used to store Idy’s vital organs – such as her liver, spleen, lungs, and intestines – during mummification. Remnants of Idy’s garments and her bones, which were partially destroyed by looters, provide us with an initial impression of her life and health. Preliminary examinations of her remains indicate that Idy was about forty years old when she died.

The excavations were carried out as part of the Institute of Egyptology at Freie Universität Berlin’s eighteenth fieldwork season in cooperation with Sohag University (Egypt), Kanazawa University (Japan), and the Polish Academy of Sciences. After an initial conservational consolidation of the wooden objects in the burial chamber, the finds were handed over to the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism.

Idy’s father Djefaihapi I was worshiped in antiquity and his tomb occupied a major role in the cultural memory of ancient Egypt for over 2000 years. His rock-cut tomb dating back to around 1880 BCE is eleven meters high, twenty-eight meters deep, and seventy meters wide, and adorned with exquisite paintings and inscriptions in relief.

About the Asyut Project

The Asyut Project led by Professor Jochem Kahl has been conducting research on the ancient Egyptian necropolis of Asyut since 2003, with the aim of gaining new insights into over 5000 years of history and culture in the city of Asyut.