Egyptian archaeologists working near Cairo have uncovered what is being described as the oldest and most complete mummy ever found in Egypt. The 4,300-year-old mummy was discovered in a group of tombs close to the Step Pyramid of Djoser, dating back to the Egyptian Old Kingdom. The body was covered in layers of gold.
The team also found several other tombs in the area, including one belonging to an ancient Egyptian official and another belonging to a “secret keeper” who had the power to perform special ceremonies. Another tomb belonged to a writer and contained the largest statues ever found in the region. The burial site is home to more than a dozen pyramids and other resting places.
The discovery is part of an ongoing series of archaeological finds across Egypt. In recent years, researchers have found everything from ancient workshops and statues to fully intact burial chambers. One of the most notable recent finds was a 3,600-year-old royal tomb in Abydos. The tomb, located 23 feet below the surface, contained mudbrick vaults rising over 16 feet and painted hieroglyphs of the deities Isis and Nephthys at the entrance. However, the pharaoh’s name was missing from the cartouche, leaving the ruler unidentified.
The tomb dates to the Second Intermediate Period, a time when Egypt was divided among rival kingdoms. The Abydos dynasty was long considered obscure, with some scholars doubting it existed at all. That changed in 2014 when archaeologists found the tomb of Seneb, a king whose bones showed wounds consistent with combat. The newly discovered tomb shares the same layout and style as Seneb’s but is much larger, raising the possibility that it belonged to an earlier, more powerful ruler of the dynasty.
Elsewhere in Abydos, researchers have uncovered a Roman-era pottery workshop in the village of Banawit. The site included kilns, storage rooms, and broken pottery fragments with receipts written in Greek and Demotic. Centuries later, the same ground was used as a medieval cemetery, indicating that Abydos retained significance long after the age of the pharaohs.
Another area of ongoing interest is the Valley of the Kings. In 1922, Howard Carter discovered the nearly intact tomb of Tutankhamun, which contained over 5,000 objects, including the famous golden mask. The tomb itself was unusually small for a pharaoh, leading some researchers to suggest it may not have been built for him. In recent years, radar scans have detected anomalies behind the tomb’s walls, prompting speculation about hidden chambers. Some have theorized that the tomb of Queen Nefertiti may lie beyond them. However, later scans produced mixed results, and the question remains unresolved.
Nefertiti was the wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten and is known for her sculpted bust discovered in 1912. Her burial place has never been identified. A 2015 study suggested that Tutankhamun’s golden mask may have originally been made for Nefertiti, based on an inscription beneath the king’s name and the pierced ears on the mask, which were more commonly associated with women or children in ancient Egypt. The theory has not been confirmed.
Another long-standing mystery involves the burial place of Cleopatra VII, the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. Archaeologist Kathleen Martinez, a former criminal lawyer, has spent nearly two decades searching for Cleopatra’s tomb at Taposiris Magna, a temple site west of Alexandria. Martinez’s team has found coins bearing Cleopatra’s image, a bust, and a network of tunnels beneath the temple, including a 4,200-foot-long passage carved into sandstone. Some experts have questioned whether the bust actually depicts Cleopatra, and the tomb has not been located.
Cleopatra ruled Egypt from 51 to 30 BCE. She was known for her political alliances with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Following the defeat of Antony’s forces by Octavian at the Battle of Actium, Cleopatra and Antony took refuge in Alexandria. Antony died from a self-inflicted wound, and Cleopatra died about a week later. The circumstances of her death are not fully documented.
In addition to royal tombs, researchers have studied a number of mummies that offer insight into ancient life. The Bashiri mummy, discovered by Howard Carter in 1919, has never been unwrapped because its intricate bandaging is considered too fragile to disturb. X-ray scans have shown that it belonged to a man who lived during the Ptolemaic era, roughly 2,300 years ago.
Another preserved individual, known as Lady Dai, was found in China in 1972. She lived during the Western Han dynasty and died around the age of 50. Her body was so well preserved that her skin remained soft and her joints could still bend. Researchers found over 130 melon seeds in her stomach, suggesting she ate watermelon shortly before her death.
In the Giza Plateau, radar scans have led to claims of hidden structures beneath the pyramids. In 2022, a team using synthetic aperture radar reported detecting vertical shafts and chambers below the Pyramid of Khafre. Some researchers suggested the structures could be part of an underground network. These claims have not been independently verified, and several experts have questioned the accuracy of the radar technology used.
A separate study in the Western Cemetery at Giza identified an L-shaped anomaly buried about six feet underground. The structure, measuring at least 33 feet in length, was described as unnatural in origin. The researchers said it may have been backfilled with sand after construction.
The Great Pyramid of Giza itself has been the subject of a separate investigation into its electromagnetic properties. An international research group found that the pyramid can concentrate electromagnetic energy inside its chambers and beneath its base. The finding has potential applications in the design of solar cells and sensors.
Ancient Egyptian society also left behind evidence of daily life. In Saqqara, archaeologists have found embalming workshops for humans and sacred animals dating back about 2,400 years. The workshops were equipped with stone beds, clay pots, and ritual vessels. Elsewhere, jars of cheese over 3,000 years old were discovered behind tombs, showing that the Egyptians applied their preservation techniques to food as well as bodies.
A recent excavation near the temple of Pharaoh Niuserre, southwest of Cairo, uncovered a 4,500-year-old valley temple connected to an upper temple by a causeway. The lower temple, closer to the Nile, included a columned entrance and blocks carved with a calendar of religious festivals. These are thought to be among the earliest examples of a public calendar. The site also yielded wooden pieces used for playing senet, an ancient board game.
In the Judean Desert, archaeologists have searched for manuscripts and artifacts in caves for years. In 2025, a team found a pyramid-shaped structure at the Zohar Fortress site, about 2,600 feet above the Dead Sea. The structure, built of hand-cut stones, dated to the Hellenistic period. Inside, they found papyrus fragments, bronze vessels, and furniture. The pyramid may have served as a guard tower or tax collection point along a trade route.
The desert has also yielded other discoveries. A cave refuge used by Jewish rebels about 1,900 years ago contained fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls written in Greek. A basket made of plant fibers, considered the oldest in the world at over 10,000 years old, was also found. In 2016, a small piece of fabric dyed with scarlet pigment from insects was uncovered in the Cave of Skulls. It dates to about 3,800 years ago and is the oldest known example of fabric dyed with that pigment.
In northern China, researchers have studied the remains of ancient human relatives. A skull discovered in Harbin in 1933, known as Dragon Man, has been dated to at least 146,000 years ago. A 2021 study placed it on a new branch of the human family tree closely related to modern humans. The skull is one of the largest ever found, with a circumference of nearly 26 inches. Some researchers have questioned whether it represents a separate species.
The study of ancient DNA has also clarified the relationship between early human groups. Neanderthals and Denisovans lived in Eurasia alongside modern humans before disappearing. Denisovans are known from limited fossils, including a finger bone found in Denisova Cave in Siberia in 2008. DNA analysis later showed that the bone belonged to a new species. Some studies suggest that one group of Denisovans may have lived until at least 30,000 years ago.
Mummies found in Egypt have also provided information about health and social status. A woman known as Lady Shanet-A, from the Third Intermediate Period, was placed in a coffin made of cartonnage. CT scans revealed that the coffin had been softened and molded around her body after her death, with a slit in the back laced up like a corset. She was about 40 years old when she died.
Another mummy, a pregnant woman from Thebes, was discovered in a coffin originally meant for a male priest. She lived about 2,000 years ago and was between 20 and 30 years old when she died. The mix-up was likely due to 19th-century traders who switched mummies to sell them.
At Abydos, a fleet of 14 wooden boats was discovered in 2000. The vessels, about 70 feet long, date to around 5,000 years ago, predating the pyramids at Giza by half a millennium. They were placed parallel to one another in mudbrick vaults. Researchers believe they may have been used in a procession for Pharaoh Senusret III. Similar boats were buried in the desert for use in the afterlife.
In 2019, archaeologists in Luxor found fragments of Queen Hatshepsut’s Valley Temple, along with over 1,000 decorated stone blocks. A nearby tomb belonged to an official named Jahuti-Mes. The site also contained amulets, pottery, and archers’ bows.
New excavations near Luxor have also uncovered wooden coffins dating back 3,600 years. Among the artifacts found were an amethyst and agate necklace, copper mirrors, and a hippo head amulet. The discoveries are part of ongoing work to understand daily life in ancient Egypt.
In 2025, researchers announced the discovery of a royal tomb in the area near the Valley of the Kings, the first of its kind since Tutankhamun’s tomb was found in 1922. The tomb of Thutmose II had flooded shortly after burial, and the mummy and most grave goods had been removed. An alabaster jar bearing the name of Hatshepsut linked the burial to her, but the tomb’s original purpose remains unclear. Archaeologists are now investigating a nearby mound that may conceal another burial.
A city dating back 3,400 years was discovered at Tell el-Nugous, west of Alexandria. The site contained mudbrick walls, streets, and a temple built by Ramses II. A ceramic jar with a royal seal bearing the name of Princess Meritaten, the eldest daughter of Nefertiti and Akhenaten, was also found. The discovery indicates that the city was active during the Amarna period.
