The tomb of Prince Waserif Re, son of King Userkaf who founded ancient Egypt’s Fifth Dynasty and reigned from 2465 BCE to 2458 BCE, was excavated by archaeologists at the Saqqara necropolis, just southwest of Giza in Egypt, according to Egypt Today.
The multi-chamber tomb was sealed with a 15-foot-tall pink granite false door inscribed with Waserif Re’s name and titles, including “heir prince.” A red granite table, measuring 36 inches in diameter, was found in front of the door and lists offerings made to him at the time of burial.
The team unearthed statues of Third Dynasty pharaoh Djoser, who ruled from 2630 BCE to 2611 BCE, along with his wife and 10 daughters, according to a statement from Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on Friday. These statues are believed to have been originally located in a chamber adjacent to the Step Pyramid of King Djoser, whose complex is also located within Saqqara, and were later moved to the tomb of Prince Waserif Re during the Late Period (688 BCE–525 BCE).
Inside another chamber of the tomb, a nearly four-foot-tall black granite statue with hieroglyphic inscriptions of the name and titles of its owner was uncovered. The inscriptions date back to the 26th Dynasty, also indicating that the tomb may have been reused nearly 2,000 years after Waserif Re’s interment.
The joint Egyptian mission was conducted by the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Dr. Zahi Hawass Foundation for Antiquities and Heritage. Hawass is Egypt’s former Minister of Antiquities as well as a renowned—and sometimes controversial—archaeologist. Together, the mission has a record of unearthing prominent artifacts from the Old Kingdom and later periods.
A cartouche of pharaoh Neferirkare, who reigned from approximately 2446 to 2438 BCE, was also discovered at a second entrance on the tomb’s eastern facade.
To the north of the door lintel, the team identified a collection of 13 seated pink granite statues on a high-backed bench. The heads of some of the statues were positioned higher than the others, which are thought to represent the wives of the tomb owner. There are two headless statues flanking them.
Additionally, another four-foot-tall black granite statue was found face down in front of these statues.