Archaeologists have discovered 225 funerary figurines in Egypt.

Archaeologists have discovered a rare collection of funerary figurines in Tanis, Egypt, which made it possible to identify the empty royal tomb of Pharaoh Sheshonku III. This was reported on December 5 by the Daily Mail magazine.

During excavations under the sands of ancient Tanis, experts found 225 funerary figurines, neatly stacked in a star-shaped and horizontal order. At the same time, the tomb itself turned out to be empty, which immediately aroused the interest of Egyptologists. More than half of the figurines found are female, which is unusual for royal burials from the Third Transitional Period.

Experts noted that the figurines retained the royal symbols, which made it possible to connect the tomb with Pharaoh Sheshonk III, who ruled in 830-791 BC. According to French Egyptologist Frédéric Payrault, the find was striking because the ruler's name had previously been found on the walls of another tomb in the same complex.

He stressed that the empty status of the tomb once again raises the question of the fate of the remains of the pharaoh. The researcher pointed out that the construction of the tomb "always remains a risk," since the ruler cannot be sure that the successor will perform the funeral ritual.

The reign of Sheshonk III was marked by political fragmentation and bloody conflicts between Upper and Lower Egypt. Scientists have admitted that the succession of power could have been disrupted, and the burial of the ruler did not take place according to plan. Another version is the transfer of the remains due to ancient looting.

Excavations were carried out around the clock for ten days to preserve the fragile objects. Previously, similar finds in Tanis were recorded only in the 1940s, and the current discovery was the largest in recent decades. After the scientific analysis is completed, the figurines are planned to be exhibited in the museum, giving visitors access to rare evidence of funerary traditions of the era.

On December 4, Arkeonews magazine reported the discovery of silver coins from the era of the First Crusade in Northern Croatia. The value was found at the Batin site in the Baranya region. A total of 56 French coins were discovered, which date back to the XI–XIII centuries.

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