The joint Dutch-Italian archaeological mission from the Leiden Museum in the Netherlands and the Egyptian Museum in Turin, working in Saqqara area, under the supervision of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), discovered a tomb and four small booths dating back to the Ramesside era.
In a statement on Wednesday 12/4/2023, SCA Secretary General Moustafa Waziri said that the mission discovered a number of other booths dating back to the same period.
This discovery supports previous theories that suggest that the space between the tombs of the 18th Dynasty (such as the Maya tomb) was reused in later eras and tombs and booths were built during the Ramesside period, Waziri added.
At the end of the 14th century BC, Maya was one of the major figures in the Egyptian state, from the reign of Tutankhamun to that of Horemheb. His prestigious career is attested by his many titles and epithets, the most important of which is “Overseer of the Treasury” (that is Minister of Finance).
Maya had built in Saqqara, between 1330 and 1310 BC. J.C., a splendid chapel-tomb for himself and his wife Meryt. This tomb is the only one in Saqqara, during the New Kingdom, to have benefited from decoration in the subterranean rooms, a decoration that is of more than exceptional quality.
The Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt, also known as the Ramessid dynasty, is classified as the second Dynasty of the Ancient Egyptian New Kingdom period, lasting from 1292 BC to 1189 BC. The 19th Dynasty and the 20th Dynasty furthermore together constitute an era known as the Ramesside period.
Source: State Information Service Egypt