Emily Chan
Lying next to her, there were two wooden boxes holding her canopic jars, more Ushabti figurines, and a statue of Ptah-Sokar, the funerary deity. Tada Ist’s mummy was in good condition, and a mask and beaded dress were placed on top of her body.
A second female mummy in a wooden coffin was uncovered alongside Tada Ist’s. She is believed to be a chantress named Nany.
Her coffin dates back to the end of the 20th Dynasty, the last to rule during the New Kingdom period of Egypt.
Another discovery was of a roll with the first complete papyrus that was found in the Garifa area. It was approximately 43 to 50 feet long and contained writings from the Book of the Dead.
The papyrus was also remarkably well-preserved. It will be displayed in the Grand Egyptian Museum.
All the items came from a New Kingdom cemetery, where high-ranking officials and priests were buried.
After archaeologists located the site in northern Garifa in 2017, they began conducting excavations, which revealed numerous burial pits that led to chambers filled with stone and wooden coffins, thousands of amulets, and 25,000 Ushabti statues.
Overall, the “Marge Simpson” sarcophagus has been an amusing blend of archaeology and popular culture.
