5,000-year-old secret tombs unearthed in Egypt may finally reveal how pyramids began

Archaeologists have unearthed two tombs in Egypt that have remained hidden for over 5,000 years. The discovery was made at the Jabal al-Tayr archaeological site by a team from the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Popular Mechanics reported. Researchers say that Early Dynastic tombs predate the pyramids by centuries. Jabal al-Tayr served as a burial ground from Predynastic times till the Late Period (roughly 664–332 BC), when the last native pharaohs ruled Egypt. The tombs throw light on the evolution of Egyptian tomb architecture long before the pyramids were built.

Researchers say that the first tombs were simple pits lined with bricks and plastered over and cropped up around 3100 BCE, or over 5,000 years ago. Later, these burial places were built more lavishly and bigger to keep the bodies. The remains of royals were kept in Abydos, while those of nobles were kept in Saqqara. All of these tombs had subterranean burial chambers. Some of them also had upper ground structures known as mastabas, where offerings and items were kept for the deceased belonging to the upper class.

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The recently unearthed tombs are similar to the tomb of King Hor-Den at Abydos, built around 2950 BCE and the largest one from the First Dynasty. The latter had a ritual annex, two huge storage rooms, and 133 chambers around the main burial chamber. The similarities between the two tombs and Hor-Den are proof that even before the north and south were unified, early tomb architecture had spread across Egypt. The Jabal al-Tayr tombs are made of stone blocks with thicker and broader walls at the bottom.

Who built these tombs?

Archaeologists noted that the blocks from the first tomb were later removed and likely reused. There were wooden supports that held up individual segments and entire walls. The second tomb has most of its stones in place. There is still a mystery over who built these tombs and further research is needed to know this.