Archaeologists hail ‘dream discovery’ after sarcophagus is discovered near Cairo

A sarcophagus discovered near the Egyptian capital of Cairo has been hailed as a 'dream discovery' by archaeologists.

For thousands of years a sarcophagus lay hidden away from the rest of the world, just a mere 20 miles south of the bustling city of Cairo.

Every archaeologist dreams of making an incredible discovery, and they don't come much better than uncovering a tomb belonging to an important figure from thousands of years ago.

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The discoverer of this incredible sarcophagus is professor Ola El Aguizy, who found it in the ancient necropolis of Saqqara near Cairo.

Last year she was able to uncover the surface of the tomb, now she's managed to find the burial chamber where an important figure of the Ancient Egyptian world has laid buried for millennia.

The sarcophagus belongs to a person called Ptah-em-wia, who ran the treasury of Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II, often known as Ramses the Great.

Her efforts to uncover the ancient tombs and discover the incredible historical finds within are part of National Geographic documentary series Lost Treasures of Egypt.

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Professor El Aguizy told The Observer that hieroglyphs in the tomb laid out Ptah-em-wia's closeness to the great Pharaoh and that they would have had a 'very important role' in running Ancient Egypt at the height of its power.

She said: "The discovery of this sarcophagus in its original place in the burial shaft was very exciting because it is the sarcophagus of the owner of the tomb, which is not always the case.

"Sometimes the sarcophagus is for a different person of a later period, when the tomb was used in later periods. But this time it is not the case."

Carved into the sarcophagus were the images of a series of Ancient Egyptian gods including the sky goddess Nut, with wings stretched out over the ornate coffin as a symbol of protecting the dead.

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The sarcophagus will be studied further to uncover more details about the occupant's life and perhaps paint a clearer picture of a civilization at its height thousands of years ago.

Other incredible Ancient Egyptian discoveries found recently include a chunk of 2,600 year old cheese that bears some resemblance to halloumi.

Meanwhile, dozens of coffins were uncovered last year at the Saqqara necropolis site where this amazing archaeological discovery was made.

Those coffins date back more than 3,000 years and when they were found experts knew there was plenty more to be explored.

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