Rare tombs from pre-Pharaonic era discovered in Egypt

The findings of 110 tombs could shed light on two important transitional periods in ancient Egypt.

Egyptian archaeologists working in the Nile Delta have uncovered dozens of rare pre-dynastic tombs dating to the period before Egypt’s Pharaonic kingdoms first emerged more than 5,000 years ago. They also found tombs from the later Hyksos period (1650 to 1500 BC) when Western Asian migrants took over the country, putting an end to Egypt’s Middle Kingdom. The tombs include 68 from the Buto period, which began around 3300 BC, and five from the Naqada III period, which was just before the emergence of Egypt’s first dynasty around 3100 BC, according to a statement from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities released on Tuesday.