Colorful paintings of daily life uncovered in 4,300-year-old Egyptian tomb

By Lianne Kolirin, CNN

Updated 12:58 PM EDT, Mon March 25, 2024

CNN —

Colorful paintings of daily life in ancient Egypt have been discovered in a tomb dating back more than 4,300 years.

The tomb, known as a mastaba, was found in the pyramid necropolis of Dahshur, about 25 miles south of Cairo, during a recent Egyptian-German archaeological mission.

Dahshur is the southernmost of the great pyramid necropolises of the Old Kingdom in the vicinity of the ancient capital of Memphis. The main attractions there are two large pyramids of King Sneferu: the so-called Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid.

The daily life of the ancient Egyptians and their animals can be seen in the paintings

Made from unfired mud brick, the rectangular mastaba measures about 26 feet by 39 feet (8 meters by 12 meters) and features seven burial shafts, as well as another shaft for ceramic bowls and other items used in burial rituals.

According to inscriptions on a massive limestone false door, the tomb belonged to a man named Seneb-nebef, who served in the administration of the residents of the palace district, as well as his wife, Idut.

The shape of the mastaba, together with the inscriptions, images and ceramics found inside, suggest it dates from the end of the 5th or the beginning of the 6th dynasty -approximately 2,300 BCE.

The tomb belonged to an administrator called Seneb-nebef.

Stephan Seidlmayer, former director of the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin, led the expedition.

He told CNN in an email: “The corridor and the cult chamber were decorated with subtle paintings on mud plaster - a rarity in the necropolis of Dahshur. Despite extensive destruction, numerous images have been preserved. They show pictures of the tomb owner and his wife in front of the offering table, scenes from daily life - donkeys on the threshing floor, ships on the Nile, a market place - and servants who bring gifts for the mortuary cult.

“In their elegant forms and perfect execution, the pictures offer valid evidence of the artistic milieu of the capital region of the developed Old Kingdom.”

According to a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, inscriptions revealed that the owner of the tomb “held several positions in the royal palace in the administration of tenants,” while his wife “held the titles of Priestess of Hathor and Lady of the Sycamore.”

The outside of the large tomb in Dahshur, some 25 miles south of Cairo

The German Archaeological Institute Cairo has been excavating at Dahshur since 1976. The initial stages focused on the pyramids of King Sneferu from the Old Kingdom and King Amenemhat III from the Middle Kingdom.

More recent excavations have, however, centered on the tombs of great statesmen, priests and administrators from same eras.

Seidlmayer and his team will continue to excavate the site “in an attempt to search for more secrets of this area,” the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in its statement. It added: “Cleaning and documentation work will be carried out on the tomb and its inscriptions during the coming period.”

Colorful paintings of daily life uncovered in 4,300-year-old Egyptian tomb

4300年前的埃及古墓出土丰富多彩的日常生活绘画

Colorful paintings of daily life in ancient Egypt have been discovered in a tomb dating back more than 4,300 years.

在一座距今4300多年的墓中发现了古埃及丰富多彩的日常生活绘画。

The tomb, known as a mastaba, was found in the pyramid necropolis of Dahshur, about 25 miles south of Cairo, during a recent Egyptian-German archaeological mission.

这座被称为mastaba的墓是在埃及-德国最近的一次考古任务中，在开罗以南约25英里的Dahshur金字塔墓场发现的。

Dahshur is the southernmost of the great pyramid necropolises of the Old Kingdom in the vicinity of the ancient capital of Memphis. The main attractions there are two large pyramids of King Sneferu: the so-called Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid.

Dahshur在Old Kingdom大金字塔墓场的最南面，在古都Memphis附近。主要景点是两座Sneferu国王的大金字塔：所谓的Bent金字塔和Red金字塔。

Made from unfired mud brick, the rectangular mastaba measures about 26 feet by 39 feet (8 meters by 12 meters) and features seven burial shafts, as well as another shaft for ceramic bowls and other items used in burial rituals.

这座长方形金字塔墓由未经焙烧的泥砖建成，长约39英尺，宽约26英尺（8米乘12米），有7个葬井，还有另外一个用于放置葬礼仪式中使用的陶瓷碗和其他物品的葬井。

According to inscriptions on a massive limestone false door, the tomb belonged to a man named Seneb-nebef, who served in the administration of the residents of the palace district, as well as his wife, Idut.

根据一块巨大的石灰石假门上的碑文，这座墓属于一个名叫Seneb-nebef的人，以及他的妻子Idut，Seneb-nebef曾在王宫区居民的行政部门任职。

The shape of the mastaba, together with the inscriptions, images and ceramics found inside, suggest it dates from the end of the 5th or the beginning of the 6th dynasty -approximately 2,300 BCE.

mastaba的形状，以及里面的碑文、图像和陶瓷，表明它的历史可以追溯到第五王朝末期或第六王朝初期——大约在公元前2300年。

Stephan Seidlmayer, former director of the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin, led the expedition.

德国考古研究所前所长Stephan Seidlmayer领导了这次探索。

He told CNN in an email: “The corridor and the cult chamber were decorated with subtle paintings on mud plaster - a rarity in the necropolis of Dahshur. Despite extensive destruction, numerous images have been preserved. They show pictures of the tomb owner and his wife in front of the offering table, scenes from daily life - donkeys on the threshing floor, ships on the Nile, a market place - and servants who bring gifts for the mortuary cult.

他在邮件中告诉CNN：“走廊和祭拜室的泥灰墙上都装饰着精美的绘画——这在Dahshur墓地是罕见的。尽管遭到很大程度的破坏，很多图像还是保存了下来。它们展示了墓主和他的妻子在供桌前的图片，以及日常生活的场景——打谷场上的驴，尼罗河上的船，集市——以及为停尸房祭拜带礼物的仆人”。

“In their elegant forms and perfect execution, the pictures offer valid evidence of the artistic milieu of the capital region of the developed Old Kingdom.”

“这些图片以其优雅的形式和完美的制作，为发达的Old Kingdom首都地区的艺术环境提供了有效的证据”。

According to a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, inscriptions revealed that the owner of the tomb “held several positions in the royal palace in the administration of tenants,” while his wife “held the titles of Priestess of Hathor and Lady of the Sycamore.”

埃及旅游和文物部一份声明中称，碑文显示，墓主“在王宫中担任过多个租户行政职位”，他的妻子“拥有Hathor女祭司和Sycamore夫人的头衔”。（Sycamore：梧桐; 梧桐木; 悬铃木; 无花果; 枫树）

The German Archaeological Institute Cairo has been excavating at Dahshur since 1976. The initial stages focused on the pyramids of King Sneferu from the Old Kingdom and King Amenemhat III from the Middle Kingdom.

德国开罗考古研究所自1976年以来一直在Dahshur进行挖掘。初始阶段集中在Old Kingdom的Sneferu国王和中王国的Amenemhat三世国王金字塔上。

More recent excavations have, however, centered on the tombs of great statesmen, priests and administrators from same eras.

然而，最近的发掘集中在相同时代的伟大政治家、牧师和行政人员的坟墓上。

Seidlmayer and his team will continue to excavate the site “in an attempt to search for more secrets of this area,” the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in its statement. It added: “Cleaning and documentation work will be carried out on the tomb and its inscriptions during the coming period.”

Seidlmayer和他的团队将继续挖掘该地区，“试图寻找该地区的更多秘密”，埃及旅游和文物部在声明中称，并补充道：“在接下来的一段时间里，将对墓及其碑文进行清理和记录工作”。