A Franco-Egyptian archeological mission has discovered the tomb of Karomama, the wife of one of the pharaohs of the 22nd dynasty which lasted from 945 to 715 BC, the Egyptian Ministry of State for Antiquities announced Thursday.
The discovery was made in the area of monuments in Luxor, 700 kilometers (435 miles) south of Cairo.
The mission received assistance from Austrian experts, which led to the discovery of the tomb inside a temple dedicated to Tuya, mother of King Ramses II, located inside the Ramesseum temple on the west bank of the Nile, according to a ministry statement.
The head of the mission, Christian Leblanc, told Efe that Karomana’s name was written on a cartouche, showing that she held the rank of queen.
The discovery will lead to more information about Karomama, who held the title of “The Divine Wife”, in addition to the relation between Amun priests and the royal family, according to Leblanc who said that there are very few artifacts carrying the name of Karomama.
The head of the mission considered that the discovery may not be spectacular from the point of view of art history, but was from the perspective of the history of Egyptology.
The tomb consists of a pit, five meters (yards) deep, and a burial chamber which still retains the lower bits of its stone door.
Inside the tomb important remains of offerings were found and around 20 “Ushabti” pieces bearing the title of “divine wife”, which confirms that the tomb belonged to Karomama.
Egyptologists are trying to identify to which king she was married to.