In September, archaeologists accidentally discovered a 3,300-year-old burial chamber in Israel. They were presented with a very special backdrop.
Tel Aviv (AP) – A 3,300-year-old intact burial chamber was accidentally discovered in Israel. The Israel Antiquities Authority announced in September that an excavator had uncovered the stone-hewn complex from the time of the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II during construction work in Palmachim on the Mediterranean Sea.
An archaeologist descended a ladder into the chamber and found dozens of untouched burial objects there. These include pottery, cooking pots, storage containers, arrowheads and spearheads.
Archaeologists discover burial chamber that looks like an “Indiana Jones movie set”.
The Israeli archaeologist Eli Jannai spoke of a “discovery that you only make once in a lifetime”. He felt “like he was on the set of an Indiana Jones film”. The burial chamber had been untouched for more than three millennia. Therefore, important information about the finds there can be obtained with modern scientific methods. “The burial chamber can provide a complete picture of burial customs in the late Bronze Age.” At that time, Canaan was part of the Egyptian Empire.
Jannai told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that the chamber appears to have served as a family tomb. The bodies buried there are not well preserved, so DNA analyzes are not possible. However, one can assume that they were local coastal residents.
Shortly after the discovery of the intact burial chamber, several artifacts were stolen, according to the Antiquities Authority. In the meantime, it has been sealed again and investigations into the robbery are ongoing.
