5,000-Year-Old Tombs Found in Egypt Predate the Pyramids

Long before Egypt’s pyramids rose out of the desert, someone was already testing the engineering ideas that would make them possible. Two newly opened tombs near Minya suggest that shift started earlier than anyone had confirmed.

Two Tombs at Jabal al-Tayr

An Egyptian archaeological mission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities uncovered the tombs at Jabal al-Tayr, a site on the Nile’s eastern bank in the Minya Governorate. Both date to the Early Dynastic Period, around 5,000 years ago. The first tomb suffered damage over the centuries, since later builders quarried its stone for reuse elsewhere. The second tomb, just south of it, survived largely intact and follows nearly the same design.

A Wall Design That Points Toward Pyramids

What makes the first tomb stand out is its construction. Its walls are thicker at the base and taper thinner toward the top, an early attempt at improving structural stability. Archaeologists see this same principle reappearing centuries later in Egypt’s step pyramids and true pyramids. Despite the damage, excavators recovered oxide lines marking where ancient builders cut stone, along with large wooden supports built directly into the walls to reinforce them.

Echoes of a Pharaoh’s Tomb at Abydos

Preliminary comparisons show the tombs share strong design similarities with the tomb of King Den at Abydos, one of the most prominent rulers of Egypt’s First Dynasty. Dr. Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the resemblance suggests builders working in different regions of Egypt were sharing architectural ideas as the Egyptian state was still taking shape.

A Cemetery Used for Thousands of Years

Jabal al-Tayr turned out to hold far more than the two Early Dynastic tombs. Archaeologists also found a Predynastic cemetery nearby, where people were buried in a crouched position and wrapped in now-decomposed plant mats. Black-topped pottery placed beside some burials dates to the Naqada II and Naqada III periods, before Egypt’s unification. Further burials date to the Late Period, including individual and collective graves with the remains of wooden coffins. Together, the finds show the site stayed in continuous use as a burial ground for well over 3,000 years.

Sources

This report draws on findings announced by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Supreme Council of Antiquities.