With 2019 drawing to a close, the year delivered a spectacular harvest for Egyptology, presenting 10 amazing new ancient Egyptian discoveries that will make you gasp, grin, and maybe scratch your head. From baffling hieroglyphics and a teenage burial beside a puzzling pyramid to resurrected ancient bread and submerged temples, the season’s bounty is a feast for curious minds.
10 Amazing New Finds Unveiled
10 The Teenager And The Pyramid
In Beni Suef’s landscape sits the oddly‑shaped Meidum Pyramid, originally built as a step monument before its sides were later smoothed into a classic pyramid silhouette. Nobody can quite explain why the ancient builders decided to remodel it, and the mystery deepened in 2019 when a newly uncovered grave added a fresh layer of intrigue.
Excavators working beside the 4,600‑year‑old stone found the remains of a teenage girl, roughly 13 years old at the time of her untimely death. Her skeleton was laid out in a squatting pose, and curiously, there were no grave goods accompanying her. Nevertheless, the team did spot evidence of a nearby cemetery and a pair of bovine skulls, likely intended as funerary offerings, though they could not be linked to any specific burial, including the girl’s.
Further digging revealed traces of a brick wall that may have once circled the burial ground. The combination of a teen interred without ceremony, an altered pyramid, and a possible enclosing wall leaves archaeologists with plenty of food for thought and countless theories to test.
9 A Schoolboy’s Lesson
In 2019 the British Library dusted off a wax tablet that hadn’t seen the light of day since the 1970s, unveiling a surprisingly modern‑looking artifact from a completely different era. The tablet bears a child’s hand‑drawn copy of several Greek phrases originally penned by an adult, but the entire piece dates back 1,800 years.
The young Egyptian student was tasked with transcribing two pearls of wisdom in Greek, a lesson that went beyond mere letter practice. The adult’s inscription warned against bad companions and urged the youngster to seek counsel from wise men. Because formal education in ancient Egypt was reserved for boys of affluent families, the tablet likely belonged to a male pupil, reflecting the Roman‑era expectation that educated individuals master both Greek and Latin.
8 A Worthy Woman And Her Pet
During a 2019 dig at Saqqara, archaeologists uncovered a catacomb dating to the Roman period, roughly 2,000 years ago. Inside, they discovered the tomb of a woman whose identity turned out to be Greek rather than Egyptian.
The deceased was named Demetria, a name inscribed on the walls alongside references to her relatives, and she was praised as “worthy.” A vivid carving shows her in an elegant dress, holding a bunch of grapes, while an enigmatic animal—some kind of pet—presses its paws against her attire. Several feline‑like statues accompany the scene, though their exact species remain uncertain.
The chamber also features depictions of Egyptian deities, and below them an inscription mentions a man named Menelaos, described as a “Therapeutes,” a rare Greek title in Egyptian contexts. Scholars debate what duties a Therapeutes performed for his masters, adding another layer of mystery to the tomb.
7 The Mystery of The Bird Mummies
In everyday Egyptian life, offering a mummified animal—especially a bird—was a common devotional practice. Citizens would purchase tiny avian mummies, sometimes even placing them in miniature coffins, leading to a massive collection of preserved birds in modern museums.
The sheer volume of these feathered mummies raised a logistical question: how did the ancient Egyptians acquire so many specimens? The African sacred ibis was the most frequently used bird, and scholars long assumed that the Egyptians ran ibis farms much like modern poultry operations.
Genetic analysis of 40 ibis mummies in 2019 upended that theory. The DNA showed significant variation, indicating the birds were likely captured from the wild rather than bred in captivity. Critics point out that harvesting millions of wild ibises would have been nearly impossible and unsustainable, leaving the true source of Egypt’s feathered offerings still shrouded in mystery.
6 What Egyptian Bread Tastes Like
Seamus Blackley, better known for co‑creating the Xbox, also harbors a passion for Egyptology and baking. In a deliciously nerdy experiment, he set out to recreate the flavor of ancient Egyptian bread, but first he needed authentic yeast that had lain dormant for millennia.
Blackley managed to extract 4,500‑year‑old yeast from Old Kingdom cooking pots. With the help of laboratory scientists, the ancient yeast was revived and cultivated for a week, being nourished with olive oil, hand‑milled barley, and the early wheat variety known as einkorn. The result was a starter reminiscent of modern sourdough cultures.
Using this starter, Blackley mixed in ancient grains—einkorn, barley, and kamut—while deliberately avoiding modern wheat, which didn’t exist in antiquity. When the loaf emerged from the oven, it boasted a light, airy crumb and a sweet, fragrant aroma that Blackley described as “incredible.” The experiment offered a tantalizing taste of Egypt’s culinary past.
5 The Priest Cachette
In a 2019 press conference, Egyptian officials invited journalists to witness a spectacular find: thirty pristine coffins dating back roughly 3,000 years. Despite their age, the coffins remained remarkably intact, with vivid paintwork and clear decorative patterns.
The coffins originated from the necropolis of El‑Assasif near Luxor, and the quality of the wood and the clues on the sarcophagi suggested that many of the interred were priests. Because of this, the discovery quickly earned the nickname “the cachette of the priests.” The coffins were arranged in two layers, with twelve stacked atop the remaining eighteen, all sealed and untouched.
During the conference, two of the coffins were opened, revealing well‑preserved mummies with intact bandages. In total, the cachette contained two children, five women, and twenty‑three men, offering a rare, unlooted glimpse into the lives of the individuals buried together.
4 Pieces Of A Missing Temple
Divers have been probing the submerged ruins of Heracleion for about twenty years. This once‑busy Egyptian port vanished beneath the Mediterranean, only to be rediscovered at a depth of roughly 45 metres (148 feet). While many artifacts have been catalogued, 2019 produced the most astonishing find yet: massive stone columns.
The colossal pillars are believed to have belonged to the city’s main temple, known as Amun Garp. Advanced scanning equipment allowed researchers to image the columns without disturbing the silt‑laden seabed, also uncovering a smaller Greek temple and shipwrecks brimming with jewelry and coins. An additional ceremonial boat fragment was recovered on a separate dive.
Often dubbed “Egypt’s Atlantis,” Heracleion dates back to the eighth century BC and already boasted impressive architecture, treasure troves, and towering statues. With roughly 95 percent of the site still unexplored, the underwater city promises even more astonishing discoveries.
3 Seven Women With Tattoos
Around three millennia ago, artisans living near the Valley of the Kings labored to decorate royal tombs with elaborate murals. After a day’s work, both men and women retired to the nearby village of Deir el‑Medina, where they pursued personal creative projects that remained hidden until 2014.
A female mummy from Deir el‑Medina displayed a series of elaborate tattoos, prompting scholars to label her a probable priestess. Subsequent excavations revealed six more women, equally well‑preserved and adorned with intricate ink work. In 2019, researchers released these findings, reshaping our understanding of ancient Egyptian tattooing.
Previously, scholars believed tattoos were rare, reserved for high‑status individuals. The Deir el‑Medina discoveries demonstrated that tattooing was far more common, serving not only religious purposes but also personal identity expression, much like modern body art.
2 Rare Lion Mummies
The lion held a special place in ancient Egyptian symbolism, yet only a single mummified lion had ever been documented. Although lions roamed the Nile region and even served as royal pets, their bodies rarely entered the embalming process.
After centuries of searching through countless mummies, the puzzle persisted—until 2019, when a Saqqara excavation unearthed a cache of feline‑shaped mummies. Among them were five lion cubs, each preserved at about eight months old. Their discovery shed light on why full‑grown lions were seldom mummified, suggesting that the Egyptians may have reserved such elaborate rites for younger specimens.
The presence of these cubs together raises fresh questions about the cultural or religious reasons behind their collective burial, adding a new chapter to our understanding of Egyptian reverence for the king of beasts.
1 Hieroglyphs That Make No Sense
Typical Egyptian tombs follow a familiar script: elite individuals are identified, lavish goods are buried with them, and hieroglyphic inscriptions narrate their lives. In 2019, however, archaeologists announced a burial that upended this formula.
The find stemmed from Saqqara burials dating back roughly 2,000 years. One modest coffin, though heavily decayed, still displayed a painted necklace around the neck and, lower down, the usual hieroglyphic band that would normally reveal the deceased’s name.
When experts attempted to decode the inscription, they were met with nonsense. The symbols were poorly formed imitations of authentic hieroglyphs, rendering them unreadable. It appears the artist was illiterate, producing a garbled script that offers no clear meaning. Adding to the oddity, the coffin featured a blue depiction of Anubis—traditionally rendered in black—leaving researchers to wonder about the intended symbolism.