- CAIRO (Reuters) -- Archaeologists
have found a 2,500-year-old tomb near Egypt's ancient pyramids in Giza,
the head of the excavation team has told Reuters.
-
- Zahi Hawass, also the head of Egypt's Supreme Council
of Antiquities, said on Thursday the team located the tomb using radar
and then dug to a depth of about 10 metres (30 feet) before unearthing
some of its contents.
-
- "We still need to excavate another 10 metres before
reaching the sarcophagus and discovering the identity of the occupant,
which will take another one or two months," he said.
-
- The team found a box of 400 small statues which the ancient
Egyptians believed helped the deceased in the afterlife.
-
- Hawass said the tomb from the 26th dynasty was located
between the Sphinx and the Khafre pyramid on the Giza plateau, popular
tourist sites that draw thousands of visitors from all over the world each
year.
-
- The pyramids themselves were built about 4,500 years
ago, during the 4th dynasty.
-
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