Sarcophagi of the "Singers of Amun" and sealed papyri have been discovered in Egypt.

In the Asasif necropolis on the west bank of Luxor in Upper Egypt, archaeologists have discovered a carefully organized burial vault from the era of the Third Transitional Period (c. 1070-664 BC). In a chamber carved into the rock, 22 brightly painted wooden sarcophagi and eight papyri were found, some of which preserved the original clay seals. This was reported on March 4 in Arkeonews magazine.

The rectangular chamber, cut out of the rock massif, apparently served not as the primary burial place, but as a protected storage for sarcophagi transferred from earlier tombs. The coffins were stacked in ten horizontal rows in several layers, with the lids separated from the bases to save space. This arrangement eliminates haste: we are talking about a controlled, institutionally organized operation, probably related to the temple structures of Thebes. Mummies have been preserved inside most of the sarcophagi, a rarity for the Third Transitional Period, when many burials were looted.

There are no personal names on a number of coffins, but the title "Singer of Amona" is regularly found. These women were part of the ritual hierarchy of the cult of the god Amun and participated in the ceremonies of the Karnak Temple complex. During the period of political fragmentation, power in Upper Egypt was concentrated in the hands of the Amun priesthood, which made the temple institutions not only religious, but also economic centers. The repetition of a title instead of personal details may indicate the priority of religious identity over family origin in the funeral tradition.

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Of particular interest are eight papyri found inside a large ceramic vessel. Several scrolls have preserved the seals intact. This is rare in reliably documented archaeological contexts. The researchers call the find a potential "information treasure trove." The documents may contain information about temple administration, liturgy, mummification rites, or the economic activities of the Amun priesthood. In addition to text analysis, it will be important to study the storage methods of documents and the composition of organic residues.

Ceramic vessels were also found in the chamber, presumably used in the embalming process — for soda, oils, resins or linen materials. The combination of sarcophagi, mummies, ritual ceramics and sealed papyri confirms that this was a centralized temple movement, and not a random set of burials. Due to the fragility of the wood, the restorers promptly stabilized the structure of the sarcophagi, reinforced the plaster layers and carried out mechanical cleaning of the murals.

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The journal Science Daily reported on February 25 that an international group of researchers concluded that Ice Age people could record information long before the advent of writing. The results of the study showed that the symbols applied more than 40 thousand years ago had a structure and information complexity comparable to the early Cuneiform script.

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