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Assignment on Ancient History
Assignment on Ancient History
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Assignment on Ancient History
Part 1
"New Mummies Discovered In Tomb Near Luxor, Egypt," BBC News, September 9, 2017.
Excavations lead to uncover mysteries of several thousand years. Those secrets that had
been buried under the pressure of time and mud can only be brought to life when archaeologists
work on it. In 2017 many revelation were made after a team of archaeologists in Egypt found the
tomb of a royal goldsmith. It had mummies of a woman and two older children. The tomb is
dating back to 16th to 11th century of New kingdom, discovered near the Nile city of Luxor in
Africa. There was a statue of goldsmith Amenemhat, who was sitting by his wife. Three
mummies were found below the burial shaft in the main chamber. According to the research, the
tomb of the mother aged around 50, the reason for death was a bacterial bone disease (BBC
News, 2020). The next two bodies are claimed to be of her two sons who were in their 20s and
30s. The reason for their death is not revealed. All the bodies have been preserved in good
condition. It was not clear whether the three mummies were connected to Amenemhat or not.
Authorities say that the tomb of Amenemhat may lead to more discoveries of mummies
near Draa Abul Naga necropolis. It’s a well known area known for its temples and burial
grounds. Amenemhat was a goldsmith to god Amun who was considered the most powerful
deity of that period. Minister of Antiquities confirms that in the excavation many objects of the
funerary equipment, coffins, funerary combs, funerary masks, some jewelry, and statue were
found. The archaeologists had found four more names those are not yet found. Those tombs will
be expected to be unearthed after more excavation in near areas.
"Archaeologists Make Major Discovery In Egypt's Luxor," Al Jazeera, April 18, 2017.
The Egyptian authorities have found several mummies, ten colorful wooden sarcophagi
and more than thousand funerary statues near the city of Luxor. These are claimed to be in a
3,500-year-old tomb it is considered as an important discoveries by the archaeologists. By
analyzing the tombs of the mummies it was found that one of the mummies was 18th century old
and was discovered in the Draa Abul Nagaa necropolis near the famed Valley of the Kings. It
was of a nobleman named Userhat. He worked as the city judge. There are eight mummies and
three coffins and the excavation is still in the process (Aljazeera.com, 2020). It is believed that

Assignment on Ancient History
the tomb was opened to add more mummies about 3,000 years ago, 21st Dynasty. This was done
to safe gaurd the treasures of the mummies as at that time the tomb-robbing was very common.
A large amount of Ushabti (small carved figurines), was discovered. It is said that there was
more than 1000 Ushabti and it will unlock more mystery.
Ushabti figurines were known to be kept with the deceased in ancient Egyptian tombs.
This directed the soul to the responsibilities in the afterlife. The team excavated the sarcophagi
that were painted with intricate drawings in dark colors of red, blue, black, green, and yellow.
The carvings were of dead people on it. All the coffins were nicely preserved still many had
deteriorated due to time and pressure.
In the discoveries the archaeologists found a mummy wrapped in linen with white,
orange, green, and patterned pots on the tomb. The tomb is like a T-shaped shaped tomb that has
an open court leading into a rectangular hall, a corridor and an inner chamber. A nine-metre shaft
held the Ushabti figurines, along the wooden masks and a handle of a sarcophagus lid.
This was an important discovery as the excavations talks about the culture, religion,
community and social message that period of time followed. It is evidence that there are huge
amount of new mummies undiscovered. They whole discovering will lead to a clearer picture of
the society of that time. Their history can be unearthed for the new generations to learn about the
achievements of their ancestors.
Part 2
The looting of the National Museum of Iraq was one of the worst man directed acts of
cultural vandalism in 21st century. The first looting started on April 10 2003, when the US-led
invasion of Iraq started a public outcry destroying half of the country. The looters forced entry
into the National Museum of Iraq one by one after the 1st incident. The staff of the museum
vacated the placed two days before the US force advanced in to Baghdad. For next 2 days the
whole museum was ransacked and looted. The collection of antiques dating from 5000 years was
desecrated, damaging the cultural heritage. It was bravery of the staff that they foresighted the
destruction and they successfully removed safely 8,366 artifacts. It is estimated that around
14,000 objects went missing in 36 hours of looting. In the course of time only 7000 items are