Czech Archaeologists have uncovered a huge limestone tomb in Abusir belonging to a royal physician dating back to approximately 2400 BC.
The physician, named Shepseskaf-Ankh, meaning “Shepseskaf is living”, served the royal household as head physician during the fifth dynasty serving a king named Nuiserre who ruled at the time for over a decade.
The director of the archaeological team from the Czech Institute of Egyptology, Miroslav Bárta, was impressed with the historical details that were contained in the tomb.
“This microcosmos illustrates general trends that ruled the society of the day,” he says. “Niuserre followed the policy of marrying some of his daughters to his top officials to keep their ambitions at bay,” says Bárta. “This is exactly the moment when the empire starts to break down due to rising expenses and increasing independence of powerful families.”
Check out the entire article with pictures at National Geographic here.
