Tomb of Ramses II's Treasurer Found in Saqqara

During excavation work at the Saqqara necropolis, an archaeological mission from Cairo University has uncovered the tomb of the head of treasury during the reign of King Ramses II. The discovery is quite significant given the several venerable titles given to the treasurer, Ptah-M-Wia, including head of treasury, supervisor of cattle and overseer of sacrifices to the deities at Ramses II temple in Thebes.

Along with the tomb of Ptah-M-Wia, the mission made a number of discoveries including the tombs of high-ranking officials from the New Kingdom, most notably the tomb of famed military commander Harmhab, the tomb of the mayor of Memphis, Ptah-Mas, the royal ambassador to foreign countries, Basir, and the supreme commander of the army, Eurkhi.

The architecture and design of the tomb of Ptah-M-Wia is reminiscent of its neighbouring tombs, following the style known as a ‘tomb-temple’. It has an edifice for an entrance, engraved with scenes depicting the tomb’s owner. The entrance leads into a hall with painted walls, with a shrine for deities headed by a pyramidion at the end. A number of stone blocks and several Osirian columns were found buried under the sand. These pieces will be studied and then returned to their original places inside the tomb.

Cairo University’s excavation work in Saqqara began in the 1970s, beginning with the New Kingdom cemetery south of the road that led to King Unas’ pyramids. From 1983 to 1986, the mission, headed by Sayed Tawfiq, uncovered a number of important tombs dating back to the Ramesside period. The current mission started in 2005 and is headed by Ola El-Egazay.