CNN reported that colorful paintings of daily life in ancient Egypt have just been discovered in a tomb dating back more than 4,300 years.
The tomb, known as mastaba, was found by Egyptian and German archaeologists in the Dahshur pyramid cemetery, about 40km south of Cairo.
Dahshur is the southernmost of the great pyramid cemeteries of the ancient Egyptian Kingdom in the vicinity of the ancient capital Memphis. The main attraction here is the two great pyramids of King Sneferu: the Bent pyramid and the Red pyramid.
Built from unburnt mud, the rectangulartaba masset is about 8x12 meters in size, with seven burial axes and another axis to hold porcelain bowls and other items used in burial rituals.
According to the lines carved on a giant fake limestone door, the grave belongs to a man named Seneb-nebef, who serves in the palace, and his wife, Idut.
The shape of mastaba, along with the words, images and pottery found inside, shows that it dates back to the late 5th or early 6th dynasties - about 2,300 years ago.
Stephan Seidlmayer, former director of the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin, led the exploration team. He told CNN: The corridor and worship room are decorated with delicate paintings on mud plaster - a rare thing in Dahshur cemetery.
Despite widespread destruction, many images are still preserved. Paintings of the tomb owner couple in front of the altar, everyday scenes - decoys on the rice fields, ships on the Nile River, a market - and servants bringing offerings to the funeral home.
With elegant form and perfect implementation, the paintings provide valid evidence of the developing artistic environment in the capital of the ancient Kingdom of Egypt.
Germany's Cairo Institute of Archaeology has been excavated in Dahshur since 1976, The first phase focuses on the pyramids of King Sneferu of the ancient Egyptian Dynasty and King Amenemhat III of the Northern Dynasty of Egypt.
However, recent excavations have focused on the tombs of ministries, priests and managers of the same era.
Seidlmayer and his team will continue to dig up the site in an effort to find further the regions secrets. Clearing and recording documents will be carried out on the tomb and the engravings on it in the coming time" - the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a statement.
