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4,300-Year-Old Tombs Unveiled Near Cairo

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(AP) – A pair of 4,300-year-old pharaonic tombs discovered at Saqqara indicate that the sprawling necropolis south of Cairo is even larger than previously thought, Egypt's top archaeologist said today. "We announce today a major, important discovery at Saqqara, the discovery of two new tombs dating back to 4,300 years ago," he said. "The discovery of the two tombs are the beginning of a big, large cemetery."

The rock-cut tombs were built for high officials—one responsible for the quarries used to build the nearby pyramids and another for a woman in charge of procuring entertainers for the pharaohs. The discovery indicates that there is even more to the vast necropolis of Saqqara, located 12 miles south of the capital, Cairo, he added.

An Egyptian archaeologist and a labor worker at the excavation site of the two newly discovered tombs south of Cairo, Egypt Monday, Dec. 22, 2008.
An Egyptian archaeologist and a labor worker at the excavation site of the two newly discovered tombs south of Cairo, Egypt Monday, Dec. 22, 2008.   (Nasser Nasser)
An Egyptian worker, seen near, one the two newly discovered tombs in the Saqqara burial site of the rulers of ancient Memphis, about 12 miles, 19 kilometers south of Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 22, 2008.
An Egyptian worker, seen near, one the two newly discovered tombs in the Saqqara burial site of the rulers of ancient Memphis, about 12 miles, 19 kilometers south of Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 22, 2008.   (Nasser Nasser)
An Egyptian worker enters one of the two newly discovered tombs in the Saqqara burial site of the rulers of ancient Memphis, about 12 miles, 19 kilometers south of Cairo, Egypt Monday, Dec. 22, 2008.
An Egyptian worker enters one of the two newly discovered tombs in the Saqqara burial site of the rulers of ancient Memphis, about 12 miles, 19 kilometers south of Cairo, Egypt Monday, Dec. 22, 2008.   (Nasser Nasser)
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