Lost tomb found in Cairo

ARCHAEOLOGISTS have discovered the 3,300-year-old tomb of the ancient Egyptian capital’s mayor.

The resting place had been lost under the desert sand since 19th century treasure hunters first carted off some of its decorative wall panels, officials announced.

Ptahmes, the mayor of Memphis, also served as army chief, overseer of the treasury and royal scribe under Seti I and his son and successor, Ramses II, in the 13th century BC.

The discovery of his tomb earlier this year in a New Kingdom necropolis at Saqqara, south of Cairo, solves a riddle dating back to 1885, when foreign expeditions made off with pieces of the tomb, whose location was forgotten.

“It is important because this tomb was the lost tomb,” said Ola el-Aguizy, the Cairo University archaeology professor.