Longstanding archaeological mystery solved thanks to new find

An 86-year-old mystery in an ancient Egyptian tomb has just been solved thanks to an army of ceramic servants.

The tomb of Usermaatre Setepenamun Osorkon II was uncovered in northern Egypt, at the archaeological site of Tanis, in 1939. As far as royal tombs go, it was pretty standard in terms of the luxuries and treasures within. But there was one thing that baffled historians.

Tucked away in its northern chamber was a second granite sarcophagus*. It was unmarked, yet fit for a king, although none of the tomb’s inscriptions made any mention of another royal being buried alongside Pharaoh Osorkon II.

But almost a century after its discovery, a team of Egyptian and French archaeologists working to stabilise the tomb has stumbled upon a new find.

A troop of 225 ushabti* figurines (glazed-ceramic statuettes of servants) were neatly buried in a shallow pit alongside the unknown sarcophagus.

And they’ve shared a long-held secret: the name of their noble stowaway – Osorkon II’s grandson the Pharoah Shoshenq III.

“This is a crucial step in solving one of the longstanding archaeological mysteries,” an Egyptian Antiquities* Department statement read.

But just why was Shoshenq buried in an unnamed sarcophagus in his grandfather’s lavish tomb, instead of inside his own mausoleum*?

A TALE OF TWO KINGS
Pharaoh Osorkon II ruled Egypt from about 872BC to 837BC. He’s known for bringing together two separate kingdoms under the 22nd Dynasty after the death of his cousin, the usurper* Harsiese.

His reign became a time of prosperity.

Prior to his rule, Egypt was not what it once was.

It had survived the mysterious collapse of the Bronze Age* Mediterranean civilisations around 1177BC. But only just.

Now, Osorkon II gave his people a glimpse of how great Egypt had once been.

The reign of Pharaoh Osorkon II was considered stable and prosperous, despite ongoing revolts by the kingdom’s neighbours.

The divine king renovated, restored and built temples. He (repurposed) old statues.

And he successfully stopped Assyria from elbowing its way into his troublesome tributary* kingdoms of Syria, Israel and Judea.

It was, by all accounts, a glimpse of golden ages past.

As a result, his tomb (known as NRT I by archaeologists) appears to have been especially lavish, at least for the era.

Although looted in antiquity*, the few pieces of jewellery that remained displayed a level of artistic quality not seen for centuries.

But times were still relatively tough at the top.

Osorkon II’s tomb was an impressive granite structure. But skilled staff were increasingly hard to come by, so he ordered his artisans to repurpose a hawk-headed statue from the great Ramesside dynasty (1292BC to 1189BC) to give the lid of his sarcophagus an extra air of nobility.

And then there was his successor, his grandson Shoshenq III, or Pharaoh Usermaatre Setepnamun Shoshenq Sibaste Meryamun Netjerheqaon. Shoshenq III took control under dubious* circumstances.

He was probably a grandson of Osorkon II. But another grandson had already assumed the title. A dispute over which grandson would become the next pharaoh caused Osorkon II’s unified Egypt to fragment once again.

What is known is that Shoshenq III oversaw the burial of the dead pharaoh in the Tanis tomb. And he stamped his name on the top job by being the one who made the final ritual offerings as it was sealed.

So Shoshenq III knew exactly what riches Osorkon II took with him to the grave.

THE PAUPER PHARAOH
Shoshenq III retained control of Osorkon II’s capital, Tanis. But how much of the rest of the kingdom he ruled constantly changed as contending cousins kept claiming his crowns.

The ancient authority of the pharaohs soon lost all credibility and entrepreneurs, regional governors and military commanders started doing their own thing.

In the end, Shoshenq III simply outlived most of them and ruled his slice of Egypt for almost 40 years.

But the constant conflict left Shoshenq III and his kingdom broke and he could only afford to build a modest royal tomb for himself (designated NRT V).

As far as heavenly rides to the afterlife go, there’s little doubt Shoshenq III would not have thought his was fit for a king – especially not after what he’d seen at Osorkon II’s tomb.

Shoshenq III was buried in his grandfather’s tomb with his personal 225 magical ushabti figurines, staff placed “on call” in the afterlife, alongside his anonymous sarcophagus. Their job was to farm, cook, clean, hairdress and service all of Shoshenq III’s needs and desires after death.

Each one carried his cartouche* (royal name), to remind them which pharaoh they loyally served.

Secretary-General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities Dr Mohamed Ismail Khaled said the find marked “a turning point in our understanding of Tanis’ royal necropolis*.”

However, it’s not certain that Shoshenq III wanted to be placed in Osorkon II’s tomb. Some remains found in the tomb he had built for himself carry the name Shoshenq IV.

But even an abandoned, standard-trim burial site would have seemed heavenly to his poorer successors.

French archaeologist Dr Frédéric Payraudeau said previously undocumented inscriptions have also been found in the tomb’s northern chamber. Once cleaned and catalogued, these may reveal if the tomb-share was an emergency response to political instability, an effort to protect the king’s remains, or a last-minute desire for an upgrade.

Preservation work on the chamber is ongoing.

“The Tanis site still holds many undiscovered secrets, necessitating* continued excavation and restoration work,” the Egyptian Antiquities statement concludes.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• sarcophagus: a stone container to hold a coffin that is placed above the ground rather than being buried
• ushabti: an ancient Egyptian funerary figurine that was intended to act as a servant for the deceased in the afterlife
• Antiquities: the ancient past, usually before the Middle Ages
• mausoleum: an above ground building that houses a tomb or tombs and acts as a monument to the dead
• usurper: someone who takes charge by force or illegally
• Bronze Age: a period of time in the Mediterranean from c.3300 to c.1200 BCE when bronze was the main metal used for weapons and tools and complex urban societies began to form
• tributary: a state that pays a tribute, such as money or services, to a more powerful country in exchange for peace or protection
• antiquity: the ancient past
• dubious: suspect or not to be relied upon
• cartouche: a protective symbol for ancient pharaohs consisting of an oval around Egyptian hieroglyphs that spell out the person’s name and title
• necropolis: a cemetery, literally meaning, “city of the dead”
• necessitating: creating the need for

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QUICK QUIZ
1. When did Pharaoh Osorkon II rule Egypt?
2. What was he known for doing?
3. What is his tomb called?
4. How did historians discover the name of the other king buried in Osorkon’s tomb?
5. How many years did Shoshenq III rule as pharaoh?

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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Family tree
Design and draw a family tree of Pharaoh Osorkon II and his descendants and relatives. Under each person, describe their attributes and what they are remembered for.

Why is it important to know and understand these mysteries from the past?

Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, History, Geography, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
Was Osorkon II a successful leader? Outline some statements supporting his leadership and statements arguing against his success.

Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, History, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
BAB it!
Show you have read and understood the article by writing three sentences using the connectives “because’’, “and”, and “but” (BAB). Your sentences can share different facts or opinions, or the same ones but written about in different ways.