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Tomb of a little-known female pharaoh 5000 years old found in Egypt: opens new pages of ancient Egyptian history

Maria Tsikhotska

Tomb of a little-known female pharaoh 5000 years old found in Egypt: opens new pages of ancient Egyptian history
Excavation site of the tomb of the female pharaoh. Source: Business Insider

A luxurious ancient Egyptian tomb containing 5000-year-old wine has been discovered to be the burial place of a little-known female pharaoh known as Meret-Nate She came to power after the death of her husband, King Djet, who was the third ruler of the First Dynasty in ancient Egypt, around 3000 BC. Archaeological excavations show that Meret-Nate was an influential figure with an extremely high level of power.

Business Insider writes about it.

Scientists researching her tomb in Abydos, central Egypt, believe that this discovery could change the history of Egypt, as there is reason to believe that Meret-Nate may be the first female pharaoh of ancient Egypt.

The inscriptions found inside the tomb also indicate that Meret-Nate played an important role in the state and held high positions.

According to archaeologists, Meret-Nate's tomb was filled with large jugs of wine and dried grape seeds. Many of the jugs were sealed with intact corks.

Around the tomb of the pharaoh, 41 servants and courtiers were buried. According to archaeological evidence, these burials were created over a long period of time, indicating that the servants were not victims at the death of the pharaoh.

Read also: A "festive" coffin with the mummy of the high priest's daughter, 3000 years old, was found in Egypt (photo)

Egyptologists believe that Meret-Nate was the mother of the heir to the throne of King Dan. Other evidence confirms that she performed regency functions, possibly while Dan was growing up.

Some experts believe that Meret-Nate had the same rights as male pharaohs. This discovery has great historical potential and could rewrite the history of Ancient Egypt.

If it turns out that Meret-Nate was indeed a pharaoh, it will mean that women began to rule Egypt much earlier than was thought. The next known female pharaohs were Neferusobek and Hatshepsut, but they ruled 500 years after Meret-Nate.

As a reminder, a stunning mosaic with the Trojan hero Aeneas was discovered in Turkey.

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