CAIRO, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced on Thursday the discovery of 225 funerary figurines belonging to King Shoshenq III and dating back to ancient Egypt's 22nd Dynasty (945 BC-715 BC).
King Shoshenq III is known for his distinctive architectural contributions in Tanis, an ancient city located in the northeastern Nile Delta of Egypt, which boasts many monumental relics and is one of the country's most important archaeological sites.
In a statement, the ministry said that a French archaeological mission working in Tanis uncovered the large group of ushabti figurines inside the tomb of King Osorkon II, who also ruled during the 22nd Dynasty. It remains unclear whether Shoshenq III was originally buried in Osorkon II's tomb or if his funerary belongings were later moved there for safekeeping.
The statues were found in layers of silt near an uninscribed granite sarcophagus, whose ownership had been debated for decades. New evidence now strongly suggests that the sarcophagus belongs to King Shoshenq III, marking a decisive step toward resolving this long-standing archaeological mystery, according to the statement.
