(CBS News) — The discovery of two ancient tombs in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor is spurring new hope for the country’s troubled tourism industry.
The tombs, which date back thousands of years, contain a trove of priceless artifacts.
They are part of a string of recent discoveries around Egypt shedding new light on an important dynasty, reports Elizabeth Palmer.
Brought into the light of day after around 3,500 years, the treasure of the two newly-opened tombs, near the banks of the Nile, included a mummy — probably once a senior official or local dignitary — as well as carved figurines, pottery, and a spectacular mural showing scenes from the afterlife.
“One of my favorite finds from this new discovery is this beautiful funeral banquet scene in one of the tombs,” said Kristin Romey, the National Geographicarchaeology editor. “It depicts the deceased and his wife being served all sorts of goodies, and it kind of shows you what people considered important to have in the afterlife when you were no longer on Earth.”
This is just the latest exciting find of 2017, which has already been a banner year for Egyptian discoveries.
Partly that’s thanks to new technology, like scanners that can see underground and inside sealed pyramids.
But it’s also due to a deliberate push by the Egyptian government to revive its flagging tourism industry.
The hope is that ancient marvels, newly revealed, will be enough to entice back throngs of visitors who have been spooked by both political upheaval and terrorist attacks.
