Before the first pyramids appeared, Egyptian builders were already experimenting with stone tombs that demanded careful control of weight, balance, and stability.

Archaeologists at Jabal al-Tayr in Egypt’s Minya Governorate have uncovered two Early Dynastic tombs, along with burials dating to the Predynastic period and the Late Period. Announced by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the discovery offers new evidence for how funerary architecture developed in the centuries before pyramid building transformed the Egyptian landscape.

The excavation was carried out by an Egyptian mission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities. The site, located in Middle Egypt, appears to have served as a burial ground across several major phases of ancient Egyptian history, from the era before political unification to later periods of pharaonic rule.

Two tombs from Egypt’s earliest dynasties

The most important discoveries are two tombs dated to the Early Dynastic period, the formative age of the Egyptian state between roughly 3100 and 2686 BC.

Egypt’s Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy said the find adds important evidence to the record of Egyptian archaeology, particularly because it helps trace the development of tomb architecture across different periods of ancient Egyptian history.

Dr. Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said preliminary studies show a notable similarity between the newly uncovered tombs and the famous tomb of King Den at Abydos. Den, one of the major rulers of Egypt’s First Dynasty, is closely associated with the rise of royal authority and monumental burial traditions in early Egypt.

That comparison gives the Jabal al-Tayr tombs wider importance. It suggests that architectural ideas were not limited to one royal cemetery, but may have circulated between regions during the earliest stages of Egyptian state formation.

Walls built for weight and stability

The first tomb stands out for its unusual construction. According to Mohamed Abdel Badie, head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector, its walls were built with a gradual change in thickness. They are heavier and broader at the base, then become thinner toward the top.

The detail is important because it shows that early builders were already thinking about how walls carried weight. According to Egyptian archaeologists, this principle may represent an early stage in the engineering ideas that later helped shape the step pyramid and, eventually, the true pyramid.

The first tomb was damaged in later periods, probably when stone blocks were removed for reuse. Even so, parts of the structure survived well enough to preserve important construction details. Archaeologists identified oxide lines on the stones, likely connected with cutting and shaping techniques. They also found large wooden supports used to reinforce the walls. Some ran along the full length of the wall, while others were placed as separate straight sections.

The second tomb lies south of the first and follows almost the same architectural plan. Unlike the first, it does not appear to have suffered the same level of stone removal. Its better preservation may allow researchers to study the original design more clearly.

Burials from before and after the first pharaohs

The discovery is not limited to the Early Dynastic period. Dr. Sami Dardiri, head of the mission and head of the Central Administration for Middle Egypt Antiquities, said the team also uncovered part of a Predynastic cemetery.

Several individuals were buried in a crouched position and wrapped in plant mats, now mostly decomposed. Pottery vessels with black-topped rims were found beside some of the bodies. These vessels allow archaeologists to date the burials to the Naqada II and Naqada III periods, crucial phases before Egypt’s unification under the first pharaohs.

The mission also found individual and collective burials from the Late Period. Some contained the remains of wooden coffins, showing that Jabal al-Tayr continued to be used as a cemetery long after the Early Dynastic tombs had been built.

The finds suggest that Jabal al-Tayr was not used once and abandoned. It remained part of Egypt’s burial landscape for centuries, perhaps much longer. Across the site, archaeologists can now trace changing ideas about death, construction, and memory from the Predynastic age to the Late Period.

Excavations are still underway. For now, the two Early Dynastic tombs show a stage before the pyramids, when Egyptian builders were still refining the methods that would later make large stone monuments possible.

Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

Cover Image Credit: Courtesy of Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities