Tomb of Unknown Egyptian Queen Unearthed Near Cairo

A tomb believed to hold the remains of a previously unknown Egyptian queen has been unearthed near Cairo, authorities said Sunday.

The tomb, which was discovered by archaeologists in Abu-Sir, a village 18 miles southwest of Cairo, likely belonged to the wife or mother of Pharaoh Neferefre, who ruled 4,500 years ago, the BBC reports.

Inscriptions on the tomb walls suggested she was the wife or mother of the pharaoh and her name was Khentakawess, Egyptian Antiquities Minister Mamdouh el-Damaty said on Sunday. As two previous queens had that name, she would be Khentakawess III.

Before the discovery, scholars were not aware of Neferefre's wife's name or even whether he had a wife. This was “the first time we have discovered the name of this queen who had been unknown before the discovery of her tomb,” said el-Damaty.

The tomb is located inside Neferefre’s funeral complex, suggesting she was the pharaoh's wife, said Miroslav Barta, head of the Czech Institute of Egyptology, and leader of the mission that made the discovery. The funeral complex was found in a cemetery dating to the Old Kingdom, the second period in ancient Egyptian history during which most of the pyramids were constructed.

“This discovery will help us shed light on certain unknown aspects of the Fifth Dynasty, which along with the Fourth Dynasty, witnessed the construction of the first pyramids,” el-Damaty said in a statement to Agence France-Presse. The Fifth Dynasty ruled from 2994 B.C. to 2345 B.C.

The mission also found 24 limestone utensils and four copper utensils in the tomb. Abu-Sir is home to the unfinished pyramid of Neferefre, CNN reports.