(Newser)
–
The name Nehmes Bastet isn't a familiar one nowadays but she must have been the closest thing there was to a megastar 3,000 years ago. The tomb of the female temple singer has been discovered by archaeologists exploring a site in the Valley of the Kings that was found early last year but was quickly sealed off as unrest began, the BBC reports.
Researchers believe that the singer—whose name indicates that she was watched over by the feline deity Bastet—sang at the open-air Karnak Temple some time during the 945-712 BC 22nd dynasty. Hers is the only tomb of a woman not related to the ancient Egyptian royal families ever found in the area. The coffin was remarkably intact and a "nicely wrapped" mummy was found inside when it was opened yesterday, archaeologists say.
