A French archaeological mission led by Frédéric Perraudeau of the Sorbonne University found 225 funerary figurines of King Shoshenq III, but not His Tomb- of King Osorkon II. The discovery confirms that the pharaohs expected a fairly pampered life and indicates the potential musical-chairs status of the ancient Egyptian tombs at Tanis, near the modern city of San el-Hagar.
mortuary assistant
Funerary figurines, known as ushabti, were meant to serve at the behest of the gods in place of the deceased. According to a social media post from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the team found Ushabti and new inscriptions from Shoshenq III on the walls of the northern chamber of the tomb of Osorkon II. They were in their original position, in silt and near a previously discovered granite sarcophagus whose owner was still unknown.
Shoshenq III and Osorkon II were both pharaohs of the 22nd Dynasty, which lasted from about 945 to 730 BC during the Third Intermediate Period of ancient Egypt (about 1069 to 525 BC), the last of three periods known for schism. In fact, Shoshenq III’s reign was long but difficult, featuring bloody dynastic warfare between the kings of the north. [himself] and two kings in the south [his cousins] Egyptians,” Peraudeau told Live Science. According to the ministry, Shoshenq III was one of the most important kings of the 22nd Dynasty and built many of Tanis’s most important buildings.
The tomb of Osorkon II was already famous because of the collection of “treasures” found in 1939, known as the Tanis Treasure, now in the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir. Archaeologists made the discovery while preparing for a conservation project.
Whose grave is whose?
As quoted in the ministry’s post, Hisham Hussein, head of the maritime region’s Central Antiquities Administration, said it was still not certain whether Shoshenq III was buried inside the tomb of Osorkon II or his burial goods were moved there to keep them safe from theft. However, Peraudeau told Live Science that “the presence of shabti near the anonymous sarcophagus and inscriptions on the associated wall also clearly indicate that [Shoshenq III] Was buried here, not in his own grave.”
Yes, according to Artnet, the man had his own tomb in Tanis, but some of the remains inside bear the name of 23rd Dynasty ruler Shoshenq IV. If Shoshenq IV was not originally buried in Osorkon II, contrary to what Peraudeau says, the outlet believes Shoshenq IV would have moved him.
Moving forward, the team plans to study the newly discovered inscriptions. I, for one thing, would just like to point out that Mr. Shoshenq III didn’t plan on having only a few assistants after death – he wanted (at least) 225.
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