CAIRO, (AFP) -Egyptian archaeologists have discovered the tomb of a priest who conducted prayer rituals before statues of a dead pharaoh more than 4,000 years ago, the antiquities council said on Monday.
The tomb, which belonged to the priest Rwd-ka and dated back to the Fifth Dynasty of 2,514 to 2,374 BC, was found near the pyramids of Giza, antiquities chief Zahi Hawass told AFP.
One of the priest's roles was to lead a series or rituals and prayers before statues of a departed pharaoh who was venerated as a God.
Partly carved from stone, the tomb is painted with a picture of the priest and his wife at a table laden with offerings.
Its walls feature bucolic scenes of cattle grazing and being milked as well as a single image of a cow giving birth, Hawass said. "Perhaps this tomb will be the beginning of discovering other tombs for classes other than the workers," he added.
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| Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt Zahi Hawass speaks to the media outside the newly discovered tomb |
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| Paintings are seen in a newly discovered tomb near the Giza pyramids. RETUERS |
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