New archaeological discoveries bring ancient Egyptian civilization to the attention of the world again

In just 20 days from January 31 to February 19, 2020, Egyptians told the world three stories, bringing surprises and expectations.

On January 31, 16 tombs dating back 2,600 years were discovered in Minya Province in central Egypt, and a total of 35 ancient tombs have been discovered in the area. On February 13, an Egyptian archaeological team discovered 83 ancient tombs in the Umm al-Khalqin area of ??Deqahliye Province in northern Egypt, which is close to the Mediterranean Sea. Their age can be traced back to the third phase of the Naqada culture. On February 19, an archaeological team led by Mamdo Eldar, Egypt’s former Minister of Antiquities, announced that after another ground-penetrating radar survey, they had discovered new clues to the tomb of the Egyptian beauty Queen Nefertiti more than 3,300 years ago.

Egypt is a world-famous ancient civilization, and ancient Egyptian civilization is one of the important birthplaces of human civilization. Egypt is also a veritable country of cultural relics. As an Egyptian proverb says: A stone dug out randomly in an Egyptian residential area may have a history of thousands of years. "New archaeological discoveries in Egypt" seem to be no longer news, because people can hear such news almost every now and then. Despite this, at the beginning of the new year of 2020, Egypt announced three major archaeological discoveries in succession, each of which attracted the attention of the international archaeological community and aroused great interest among classical culture enthusiasts around the world.

Sima Qian of Egypt and the historical stages of ancient Egypt

Egyptian civilization has a long history as Chinese civilization. The territory has experienced many divisions and reunifications, the society has experienced various dynasties, and the country has experienced There were many long-lived and short-lived kings.

In the first century BC, Sima Qian, a historian in the Western Han Dynasty of China, used a "Historical Records" to record about 3,000 years of history from the time of the Yellow Emperor to the early years of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. In the third century BC before this, an Egyptian priest named Manetho wrote the "History of Egypt" in Greek, recording the unification of Egypt in 3100 BC to the entry into Hellenism of Egypt in 343 BC. The history of the Mi Dynasty also spans about 3,000 years.

Sima Qian and Manetho both lived more than 2,000 years ago, and they recorded history from 5,000 to 2,000 years ago. Due to the limitations of the times, we cannot demand that everything in the long history recorded by them has a historical basis and is impeccable. Their records of long history are biased, and there may be legends or literary processing. However, their records of many historical events were supported by later generations through different methods. Much of the historical knowledge we know today about ancient China and ancient Egypt is still based on the shoulders of these two giants of history.

The original manuscript of Manetho's "History of Egypt" has not yet been discovered, but later Greek scholars copied and quoted Manetho's written records in large numbers, allowing this historical masterpiece to be passed down to future generations and become a reference for people to study Egypt. Important historical materials. Manetho's division of ancient Egyptian history is still commonly used in academic circles today. Based on the division of Manetho's era, Egyptian cultural scholars roughly divide the history of ancient Egypt into several stages.

The first is the Badari cultural period, which existed from about 4500 BC to 4000 BC. There is a small town called Badali in central Egypt. A large number of ancient cultural sites have been discovered around the town. The ruins show that clan communes had been formed in Egypt around 4500 BC, and human civilization had emerged.

The second is the Naqada culture period, which existed approximately from 4000 BC to 3000 BC. It is also translated as Negada culture or Negada culture, and is named after the Egyptian town above. This period was the most important prehistoric cultural period in Egyptian history, and Egyptian society experienced tremendous changes. The Naqada culture period can be divided into three stages: Naqada culture phase I existed from about 4000 BC to 3500 BC, also known as the Amrat cultural period. During this period, private ownership and class relations emerged in Egypt, settlements gradually developed into city-states, and the seeds of royal power emerged. The Naqada culture phase II existed approximately from 3500 BC to 3200 BC, also known as the Gercean cultural period. During this period, private ownership and classes were established, city-states emerged, the two kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt were formed, and the royal power became the basis of political power. Main form. Phase III of the Naqada culture existed approximately from 3200 BC to 3000 BC, also known as the Semene culture period. During this period, Egypt went from great chaos to great rule, and Upper and Lower Egypt were unified into a single Egyptian kingdom, laying the foundation for the 5,000-year history of the Egyptian state. After that, Egypt entered the dynastic era, so this period is also called the pre-dynastic period, or the zero dynastic period.

The historical records of Manetho begin from this period. He divided the subsequent history of ancient Egypt into three periods: the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom. There were 31 dynasties in total. On this basis, people further refined it and divided it into three intermediate periods. The intermediate period in ancient Egyptian history refers to the period of national division or political chaos between the two stable stages of national power.

Therefore, the history of ancient Egypt is divided into the following periods:

The Early Dynasty period includes the 1st and 2nd Dynasties, which existed from about 3100 BC to 2686 BC.

The Old Kingdom period included the 3rd to 6th dynasties, which existed from approximately 2686 BC to 2181 BC. As Egypt's productivity developed, the pharaohs began to build pyramids, also known as the Pyramid Period.

The First Intermediate Period includes the 7th to 10th dynasties, which existed from approximately 2181 BC to 2040 BC. At this time, Egypt was divided between north and south. In 2055 BC, the Theban army once again unified Egypt.

The Middle Kingdom period was the 11th to 14th dynasties, which existed from about 2040 BC to 1786 BC. The Egyptian country entered a period of stable development, and the Pharaoh stopped building pyramids and instead built huge temples.

The Second Intermediate Period includes the 15th to 17th dynasties, which existed from about 1786 BC to 1567 BC. Egypt once again entered a period of north-south division, and the Hyksos occupied the Nile Delta until the Theban nobles established the 17th Dynasty and expelled the Hyksos from Egypt. Egypt is unified again.

The New Kingdom period was the 18th to 20th dynasties, about 1567 BC to 1085 BC. This period was the era when famous pharaohs such as Amenhotep IV, Tutankhamun, and Ramses lived.

The third intermediate period is the 21st-24th Dynasty, which existed from about 1085 BC to 752 BC. During this period, the royal power fell apart and the country was divided into two parts. By the 25th Dynasty, the Egyptian state was once again unified.

The Late Kingdom period includes the 25th to 31st dynasties, which existed from about 752 BC to 332 BC. Egypt's power gradually declined, the 3,000-year-old Pharaonic rule came to an end, and Egypt fell into the hands of the Greek Macedonian Empire.

Understanding the basic context of Egyptian history can help us better understand the significance of new Egyptian archaeological discoveries.

Archaeological discoveries in central Egypt

On January 31, the Egyptian Minister of Antiquities personally announced the first important archaeological discovery in Egypt in 2020. He announced that Egyptian archaeologists had discovered 16 tombs, as well as 20 sarcophagi and thousands of funerary objects in Minya Province in central Egypt. The archaeological discovery was located in the area near the Tuna Mountain Necropolis. The large number of sarcophagi, wooden coffins and artifacts unearthed belong to the 26th Dynasty of the Later Kingdom of Egypt, about 2,600 years ago. Archaeologists have started excavation work in this area in November 2017 and have now entered the third phase. A total of 35 tombs and about 90 sarcophagi have been discovered, including tens of thousands of funerary objects such as amulets made of pure gold and gemstones, and Several Canopic jars with well-preserved internal organs.

The cultural relics unearthed in Egypt often have a history of three to five thousand years, so it should not be unusual to find ancient tombs dating back 2,600 years. What matters is the location where these tombs were unearthed. The Egyptian Minister of Antiquities pointed out that Minya Province is still a virgin territory in terms of archaeology, and there are still many secrets hidden here that need to be revealed.

Minya Province is located in central Egypt, at the junction of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Most of Egypt's important cultural relics were unearthed in the Nile Delta region of Lower Egypt, Luxor and Nubia regions of Upper Egypt. There are relatively few cultural relics in central Egypt. Therefore, the Egyptian government has stepped up archaeological excavations in this area in recent years. Since 2018, a large number of archaeological excavations have been carried out in Minya Province, located in central Egypt, and a large number of valuable cultural relics have been unearthed. The Egyptian government hopes to promote the development of tourism resources in central Egypt through the excavation of cultural relics and historic sites.

Uncovering the mysterious pre-dynasty

The second important archaeological discovery announced by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities was found in the Umm Al-Khalkin area of ??Deqahliye Province in the Nile Delta A huge group of ancient tombs.

Among the 83 tombs discovered, 3 tombs were dated to the Naqada Culture Phase III from about 3200 BC to 3000 BC. In many tombs from this period, the remains were not lying flat but curled up like a fetus in its mother's womb. The ancient Egyptians believed that people would go to another world after death, and this posture could help the deceased enter that world as quickly as possible. The remains were surrounded by funerary objects, including handmade pottery, oyster shells, tilapia-shaped, rectangular and round bowls, and eye makeup items used by ancient Egyptians. These are for the deceased to use in the other world. The clay coffin discovered this time is particularly eye-catching. This kind of clay coffin has rarely been found in Naqada Phase III tombs before. When upper-class people died, they generally used stone coffins, brick tombs or wooden coffins, while poorer people were usually buried in shallow caves. Why the dead here were buried in clay coffins remains to be studied further.

This archaeological result takes us back to the Pre-Dynasty of Egypt 5,000 years ago. In that mysterious era of intense social turmoil, major events such as city-state melees, regime changes, and national reunification continued to occur.

Along the Nile Valley, more than forty city-states called states appeared in Egypt. Wars continued between the city-states for their own interests. Finally, with Memphis as the boundary, two independent regimes were formed in the upper and lower reaches of the Nile. , these are the two kingdoms of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Upstream, Upper Egypt had bees as its totem, the king wore a conical white crown, and the vulture was his patron saint. Downstream, Lower Egypt used sedge as its totem, the king wore a red crown, and the cobra was his protector.

After many years of war, around 3100 BC, King Narmer of Upper Egypt conquered Lower Egypt and established a unified Egyptian kingdom. His deeds are recorded on the famous "Palette of Narmer". This is a bluestone slab with patterns carved on both sides. One side depicts Narmer wearing the white crown of Egypt, holding the scepter high in his right hand, and grabbing the hair of his kneeling enemy with his left hand. The enemies at his feet were fleeing in panic. On the other side, Narmer, wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt, inspected the battlefield, with the corpses of the enemies in front of him. Wearing the red and white crowns together is a symbol of Egypt's unity.

Some sources believe that the first pharaoh who unified Egypt was Menes, while others believe that Menes and Narmer were actually the same person. Whether the king is named Menes or Narmer, this king who unified Egypt for the first time and the first generation of pharaoh has always been worshiped by future generations.

The owners of these three tombs may be victors from Upper Egypt who participated in the unification war, or they may be victims of Lower Egypt who fought to defend the country. Their identities may never be known. They curled up quietly in the loess, waiting for people today to discover the stories of those years.

Another 80 of these 83 ancient tombs date back to the Butuo civilization.

The Butuo culture, also known as the Lower Egyptian culture, can be traced back to before Narmer unified Egypt. This is one of the most important periods in Egyptian history and the founding era of Egypt's entry into the Old Kingdom. The name of the Butuo Civilization comes from the city of the same name in the Nile Delta, located in Sheikh Village Province, Egypt, about 95 kilometers east of Alexandria. Butuo was once an important city in the north of Egypt before the unification, located on the main land and sea transportation route. In the city-state competition for hegemony in the pre-dynasty of ancient Egypt, the states of Butuo and Hierakonpolis were the first to rise. Eventually, the Kingdom of Lower Egypt was established with Butuo as the center in the delta region in the north, and the Kingdom of Lower Egypt was established in Hierakonpolis in the south. Kingdom of Upper Egypt. The goddess Wadjet is the protector of the city of Buta and the Kingdom of Lower Egypt, represented by a cobra. After Narmer conquered Lower Egypt and unified Egypt, the god Wadjet and the patron goddess of Upper Egypt, Nekhbet, became the twin patron goddesses of unified Egypt.

These 80 tombs give us a better understanding of the lives of people during the Butuo Civilization. These tombs are oval-shaped burial pits, and the remains inside are also in a curled position. Some pottery was also unearthed at the same time, such as pottery bowls, pots and other funerary objects. The excavation of dozens of tombs gives us a deep sense of the prosperity of Lower Egypt at that time. This place is densely populated and life is prosperous. The owners of these tombs may be businessmen traveling overseas or craftsmen in handicraft workshops. After these ordinary people die, they look forward to entering the new world.

The fate of the beautiful Queen Nefertiti

On February 19, another major archaeological discovery in Egypt was announced. The beautiful Queen Nefertiti of Egypt mysteriously disappeared as early as 3,300 years ago. Fertiti's burial has new clues. It is likely that she slept behind the walls of the tomb of her stepson and son-in-law, the famous Pharaoh Tutankhamen, for more than 3,300 years.

Nefertiti, who was born around 1370 BC, was the queen of the 18th Dynasty Pharaoh Amenhotep IV of Egypt. She assisted the Pharaoh in many important reforms in Egyptian history, such as religion. reform. Nefertiti means "the beauty that comes to you" in ancient Egyptian. Not only was she extremely beautiful, she was also one of the most powerful and status women in ancient Egypt.

Nefertiti was once revered by the people as a goddess, and her name and portrait appeared in many temples and murals. However, around 1336 BC, she suddenly disappeared from history. She was only in her 30s at the time.

For a long time, Nefertiti’s whereabouts have been a mystery. Even in the tomb of the pharaoh’s husband, Amenhotep IV, there was no trace of Nefertiti at all. Some researchers believe that she was expelled from the palace by the pharaoh because she fell out of favor. The reason for her fall from favor may be that she never had children, although she did have a daughter. Some studies believe that she and her husband were overthrown by people who could not accept the religious reforms they promoted.

But there are also quite a few archaeologists who believe that Nefertiti became regent and even served as pharaoh after the death of her husband. Therefore, she would not be buried with her husband and should have a separate tomb. . However, there are no clues of Nefertiti's tomb in the entire Valley of the Kings.

This time, an archaeological team led by Mamdo Eldar claimed that Nefertiti’s tomb is likely to be hidden behind the walls of the 3,300-year-old Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen’s tomb.

According to reports, the research team presented their latest research results in an unpublished report submitted to Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities in early February this year.

They made a surprising discovery when they used ground-penetrating radar to scan Room KV62 of Tutankhamen's tomb. Just a few meters away from Tutankhamen's tomb KV62, they discovered a mysterious space. This space is parallel to the KV62 entrance and is approximately 2.13 meters high and 10 meters long. At present, they are not sure whether this space is connected to KV62. If not, it is likely to be the burial chamber of another undiscovered tomb nearby. Some researchers even believe that it may be the tomb of Tutankhamun’s wife that has not yet been discovered. However, from the vertical angle between it and KV62, they are more inclined to believe that the two should be connected. They believe that this is where Queen Nefertiti is buried.

No one knows whether Nefertiti was buried as a pharaoh and where she was buried, and no records have been found. Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt, was discovered in 1922 by two British archaeologists, who became the first people to enter the pharaoh's tomb in 3,000 years. This tomb is also the only pharaoh's tomb that has not been visited by tomb robbers. The cultural relics unearthed inside have become the most precious treasures of ancient Egyptian civilization.

DNA research once showed that Tutankhamun’s father was indeed Amenhotep IV, but his mother was not Nefertiti, but a sister of his father. Nefertiti was Tutankhamun's stepmother and mother-in-law, and her daughter married the young pharaoh. Tutankhamun was born in 1341 BC, and had the opportunity to live in the same time and space as Nefertiti; he became a pharaoh at the age of 9, and died suddenly at the age of 18. There was no time to build his own tomb; as a pharaoh, his tomb chamber Too small. Various reasons indicate that it is not impossible that he was buried in the same tomb as his mother Nefertiti.

In fact, as early as July 2015, British Egyptologist Nicholas Rivers put forward the speculation that there were undiscovered chambers in Tutankhamen's tomb. After analyzing the laser scanning data on the walls of Tutankhamun's tomb, he found that there were "obvious linear traces" under the murals on the west and north walls of the tomb, indicating that there were passages nearby and that there was likely to be another complete tomb. It's Nefertiti's tomb. In the fall of 2015, thermal imaging scans of the tomb revealed anomalies that supported his theory. In November 2015, Japanese radar experts conducted a radar scan of the tomb chamber. Their equipment showed that there were gaps behind the north and west walls of the tomb chamber, and that there were metal and organic objects in these gaps.

However, this speculation was quickly questioned. In March 2016, National Geographic magazine organized a team of radar experts to conduct the same scan of the tomb chamber as the Japanese experts did, but no abnormalities were found. Later, many archaeological teams scanned Tutankhamun's tomb, but they found nothing of value.

According to reports, the latest scans conducted by archaeologists have discovered some new evidence that other dimensions do exist. If this discovery can really reveal the secrets of Nefertiti's tomb, it will be a world-shaking archaeological achievement.

Some people still raise questions about this result again. Another former Egyptian Minister of Antiquities pointed out that this radar survey technology is immature, and the scanning results of many previous uses of this technology are disappointing. He still disputes the report's conclusions.

Regardless of the final outcome, this report brings new hope to people. After all, Egypt is a place where all kinds of archaeological wonders are possible.

Expectations and Thoughts

The three major archaeological discoveries announced by Egypt at the beginning of 2020 come from three different areas of ancient Upper, Middle and Lower Egypt. They belong to different eras and can be described as exciting. Not an exaggeration. These archaeological discoveries provide new topics for Egyptological research. As a specialized study of ancient Egyptian civilization, the scope of Egyptology research generally begins with the unification of Egypt in 3100 BC. Archaeological discoveries from the Predynastic and Budo civilization periods further enriched the research content of Egyptology. The excavations in Minya Province have provided new information for the study of post-dynastic Egypt. Research progress on Nefertiti provides new clues to unravel the mysteries of Egyptology research.

People are full of expectations for new archaeological discoveries in Egypt.

Interest in ancient civilizations comes from human beings’ traceability and respect for the history of the development of their own civilization. Ancient Egyptian civilization was an important part of human civilization and had a profound influence on the later Greek civilization and Roman civilization. Exploring the mysteries of ancient Egypt's history and culture not only satisfies people's curiosity, but also allows us to further explore the origin of the country, the origin of writing, and the development of social forms, religion, science, art, etc. Look for the imprints humans have left on history. New archaeological discoveries in China and other countries around the world can trigger us to think more about where humans come from and where they go.

(Author: Yin Yali, professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University)