SPANISH archaeologists have found a child’s coffin near to the city of Luxor, Egypt, more than 3,500 years old.
The find could throw light upon this relatively unknown period of Ancient Egypt. The coffin, made from carved wood and painted white, dates from 1,550 BC.
At that time Luxor, or Thebes as it was then called, was a provincial capital as Egypt was divided and did not have a central monarchy.
The investigators were surprised to find the coffin outside the tombs, without any protection, on the hills that dominate the west banks of Luxor. Normally a child would be buried with its family. Now they hope to find more tombs around the necropolis of Dar Abu el Naga that may contain the remains of the 5-year-old’s parents.
