Ancient Egyptian queen’s burial chamber discovered at Saqqara
French archaeologists working at Saqqara have unearthed the burial chamber of a 4,000-year-old queen.
Badly destroyed, the 33-by 16-foot burial chamber belonged to Queen Behenu, wife of either King Pepi I or Pepi II of the Sixth Dynasty.
It was discovered as sand was removed from Behenu’s pyramid in South Saqqara, west of the pyramid of King Pepi I.
Although the mummy of the queen was destroyed and little remains of the burial, the team found two inner walls which contain hieroglyphics engraved on white stone known as the “Pyramid Texts.”
Further excavation inside the burial, led the French team to the queen’s sarcophagus.
This is the seventh pyramid belonging to queens dating to the reigns of Pepi I and Pepi II since Philippe Collombert and his team started excavating in 1989.
