On June 27, Egypt’s antiquities ministry announced the discovery of hundreds of ancient limestone blocks in San El-Hagar. San El-Hagar was once known as Tanis and, according to Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, the final resting place of the Ark of the Covenant.
The Lost Treasure of Indiana Jones?
The Indiana Jones-like discovery was made by a team of French archaeologists, led by Philip Brousseau. So far, one hundred and twenty blocks have been cleaned. Seventy-eight of those blocks were painted and/or carved. The names of King Osorkon III and King Osorkon IV are inscribed on at least two of the blocks. Other inscriptions read, “Mistress Mut of Isheru Lake.”
These blocks are an astonishing, beautiful find that could help to fill in some blanks about Egypt’s Twenty-Second and Twenty-Third Dynasties. King Osorkon III was a Pharaoh of Upper Egypt during the 8th Century BCE. He ruled for approximately twenty-eight years after winning a civil war against the combined forces of Pedubast I and Shoshenq VI. King Osorkon IV was a ruler of Lower Egypt around the same time period.
The archaeologists believe that the blocks “were used to build the sacred lake walls of a temple dedicated to the goddess Mut.” Afterwards, they may have been reused for other purposes. According to Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawass, the archaeologists plan to eventually reconstruct the blocks in order to determine whether they were used to build a temple or a chapel.
Guerrilla Explorer’s Analysis
I love this type of story. It reminds me of all the amazing treasures still out there, waiting to be discovered. A tip of the fedora to Brousseau and his team…congratulations!
Anonymous
July 1, 2011 - 2:45 pm ·Interesting story!