ART AND CULTURE.
Egypt, two largest embalming laboratories ever discovered
Egypt continues to unveil the secrets of its ancient history, and probably never will. At Saqqara, the necropolis 30 km south of Cairo, two of the largest embalming laboratories ever to come to light have in fact been discovered.
In addition to these two sites, which in itself would make the discovery sensational, two sarcophagi, one belonging to the Old Kingdom (ca. 2400 BC) and one to the New Kingdom (ca. 1400 BC), have also returned to the surface.
The region of Saqqara, where everything was found, is one of the largest royal necropolises in Egypt and home to the oldest stone building in history, the step pyramid of Djoser.
Egypt, two largest embalming laboratories ever discovered
Egypt continues to unveil the secrets of its ancient history, and probably never will. At Saqqara, the necropolis 30 km south of Cairo, two of the largest embalming laboratories ever to come to light have in fact been discovered. In addition to these two sites, which in itself would make the discovery sensational, two sarcophagi, one belonging to the Old Kingdom (around 2400 BC) and one to the New Kingdom (around 1400 BC), have also returned to the surface. The region of Saqqara, where everything was found, is one of the largest royal necropolises in Egypt and home to the oldest stone building in history, the step pyramid of Djoser.
Found both a "human" and an "animal" laboratory
Both the 'human' and 'animal' laboratories date back to around the 30th dynasty, to the so-called 'Ptolemaic' period. The human laboratory, reports a note, has a rectangular shape and is divided inside into several rooms with stone beds where the deceased was laid. The laboratory for embalming 'sacred animals', with five stone beds, is also rectangular in shape and made of mud with stone floors.
Two graves also discovered at the same site
The two tombs that were discovered at the same site would instead date back to the Old and New Kingdom. Specifically, one tomb would be that of a high official of the 5th dynasty (2400 BC) called 'Ne Hesut Ba', and was the chief scribe and priest of Horus and Maat. The second is of a Qadish priest called 'Men Kheber' of the 18th dynasty (1400 BC).
How his graves are composed
The striking Old Kingdom tomb, of the 'mastaba' type, has a doorway painted on stone with the names of the tomb owner and his wife written on it, an architrave with the different honours of the couple and paintings with scenes of domestic life, farming and hunting. The New Kingdom tomb is carved in stone and has a door and lintel decorated with the names of the deceased and his wife (like the other tomb). Inside this tomb, a small hidden area was found with a metre-long alabaster statue, adorned with blue hieroglyphics and depicting the owner of the tomb in a long dress, wig and a lotus flower in one hand.
Many more objects discovered at Saqqara site
In the necropolis of Saqqara, many other things were found in addition to these workshops and the two tombs. Among many other simulacra, including a collection of wooden statues of a man called 'Nesu Henu' and his wife, dating back to the 5th Dynasty, and a painted anthropoid coffin from the 3rd Intermediate Period. A wonderful collection of funerary statuettes, called 'ushabti', was also found.
The announcement of the discovery made with great fanfare
This is an extraordinary result for this excavation, which had begun last August. The news of the discovery was given at a press conference in Saqqara, attended by the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Egyptian Antiquities, Mostafa Waziri. The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Ahmed Issa, also spoke at the conference, emphasising that 'Egypt, and in particular the archaeological site of Saqqara, has not yet revealed its secrets and that there are many more to come'.
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Nature
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science
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It may sound like a trivial question, but in fact it is not trivial at all; on the contrary, it holds within it very important physical and philosophical questions. The Washington Post noted that this question is stirring up some of the people on Twitter these days.
The debate was generated by a tweet from journalist Jacqui Deevoy, who wondered how it was possible that the sun had 'changed colour' from what she remembered as a child. The answer, however, is one that leaves one somewhat appalled, as there is no real unequivocal answer.
After all, children do not make a mistake by drawing the sun as a big yellow ball, but it is not a completely right answer. After all, light is just the perception of the wavelength of radiation emitted by the sun, and therein lies the whole secret.