Discovering the Tomb of a Respected Servant of the Gods in Egypt
Neferhotep served as the chief scribe of the god Amun. His richly decorated tomb was opened to tourists after two decades of work. The dignitary lived in the turbulent times of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
Neferhotep’s tomb is located in the Theban necropolis in Upper Egypt, near modern Luxor. Nearby is the famous temple of Queen Hatshepsut, and beyond the mountain ridge lies the Valley of the Kings, where the pharaohs of mainly the New Kingdom period, the second half of the 2nd millennium BCE, are laid to rest in rock-cut tombs.
There’s a plethora of tombs. Hills like Swiss cheese.
Neferhotep’s tomb is one of the many tombs carved into the hills in Thebes. This particular one is called el-Chocha. Next to it is the necropolis known as North Asasif, where archaeologists have been conducting research for several years. These tombs date back to the Middle Kingdom period (2050–1760 BCE).
Europeans discovered Neferhotep’s tomb in the 19th century. For decades, it remained open and sometimes even inhabited. There are even photos showing a family living there with sheep and goats. Fires were likely burned…
