Researchers studying Ancient Egypt have made a remarkable discovery dating back 3,900 years.

The find was made by a global team of researchers that were being led by Professor of Egyptology at the Free University of Berlin, Jochem Kahl, who made the discovery.

Labelled an ‘incredible’ find by the university, it goes all the way back to 1880 BC, making it roughly 3,904 years since humankind put it there.

“Unearthed after twenty years of fieldwork, the find is being hailed as a significant archaeological discovery,” the university said.

The hidden burial tomb (Andrea Kilian, © Jochem Kahl, The Asyut Project)

What did the researchers find in Ancient Egypt?

Led by Professor Kahl, the research team managed to find the burial chamber of the Ancient Egyptian priestess Idy, daughter of the regional governor Djefaihapi I.

This was in the necropolis – a large, elaborate burial ground – of the ancient city of Asyut.

The find was in a previously inaccessible part of Djefaihapi I’s huge tomb, dating back 1,880 years before Jesus Christ.

According to the inscriptions on her coffins, Idy was a priestess of the goddess Hathor and held the honorific title of ‘Lady of the House’. For the researchers looking into it, this indicates that she came from a prominent family.

How was the burial chamber found?

According to the university’s paper on the discovery, Idy’s grave was found in a side chamber that had previously been closed off by a quarry stone wall.

This was inside a vertical shaft about fourteen meters deep within the tomb of Djefaihapi I.

“While the chamber was ransacked by thieves in antiquity, most of Idy’s grave goods thankfully remain untouched,” the university says.

Incredible designs on the outer coffin (Susen Döbel, © Jochem Kahl, The Asyut Project)

What was inside the hidden burial chamber?

Found inside Idy’s burial chamber was two incredibly decorative coffins made from imported wood, with one coffin fitting in to the other.

On the outside of the coffins are ‘unusually intricate images and texts describing the journey of the deceased in the afterlife’.

That continues inside, with more detail on both coffins than comparable objects from the same period, reflecting the outstanding quality of the paintings and inscriptions at the tomb of Idy’s father.

“In particular, the wealth of texts – among them religious texts known as Coffin Texts, offering lists, and titles – will allow new insights into the position of women and the transfer of knowledge in ancient Egypt,” the university says.

Other items found in the burial tomb was wooden figurines, a dagger, pharaonic insignia, and food offerings. Another inscribed chest contained canopic jars, which were used to store Idy’s vital organs – such as her liver, spleen, lungs, and intestines – during mummification.

Representation of Idy in the tomb of her father Djefai-Hapi I (Fritz Barthel, © Jochem Kahl, The Asyut Project)

Who was Ancient Egyptian priestess Idy?

Not much is known, but she was clearly from wealth. She is thought to have been around 40 years old when she died.

“Remnants of Idy’s garments and her bones, which were partially destroyed by looters, provide us with an initial impression of her life and health,” the university says.

“Idy’s father Djefaihapi I was worshiped in antiquity and his tomb occupied a major role in the cultural memory of ancient Egypt for over 2000 years. His rock-cut tomb dating back to around 1880 BCE is eleven meters high, twenty-eight meters deep, and seventy meters wide, and adorned with exquisite paintings and inscriptions in relief.”