3,300 Year Old "Lost Tomb" of Egyptian Mayor Found

On Sunday, May 30, 2010, officials in Cairo, Egypt announced a most fascinating find.  The 3,300 year-old tomb of Ptahmes, mayor of the ancient Egyptian capital Memphis had been found since it had last been plundered in 1885 by treasure hunters. 

The tomb, located in a New Kingdom necropolis at Saqqara was plundered over 120 years ago and artifacts such as the decorative wall panels were removed and sold to museums.  After the ancient treasures were removed the tomb was all but forgotten.  Were it not for the artifacts that ended up in museums in the Netherlands, United States, Italy and even the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Pthames and his tomb might have been forgotten forever.

In 2005, a team of archaeologists from Cairo University's archaeology department found the tomb while excavating in the area.  A vivid wall engraving of fishermen in papyrus reed boats, amulets and statue fragments were found in the discovered chambers.  The inner chambers and the mayor's mummy have not been discovered.

Pthames served as Mayor of Memphis, army chief, overseer of the treasury and royal scribe under the rulers Seti I and his son, Ramses II in the 13th century B.C. 

For more information and to view photographs of the outside of the tomb and an unfinished funeral painting please visit the MSNBC.com article.  (Click on "view related photos" next to the picture of the funeral painting.)