Did an Ancient Pharaoh Hijack Anothe Pharaoh's Tomb?
A Trove of Funeral Figurines Offers Clues.
Hundreds of funeral statues found in the tomb of Osorkon II suggest the remains of another pharaoh occupies the chamber.
The missing body of Shoshenq III, the sixth of 11 known pharaohs from ancient Egypt’s 22nd dynasty (945–716 B.C.E.), has unexpectedly turned up in the Tanis tomb of his predecessor, Osorkon II.
In a recent announcement, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities called this the greatest find to come out of the dynasty’s central hub at Tanis, in the now-dry northeastern Nile Delta, since 1939—when archaeologists surfaced the Treasures of Tanis, which rival the riches buried with King Tutankhamun. However, this new find raises more questions than it answers, especially since Shoshenq III had his own tomb built in Tanis’s royal necropolis.
The team of French and Egyptian archaeologists that have been working here since 1929 have unearthed evidence pointing to the remains of Shoshenq III while they were preparing the necropolis for conservation by installing umbrellas over graves, clearing salt, and cleaning the site’s structures inside and out.
According to a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, while cleaning the northern chamber of Osorkon II, the team “discovered a large collection of 225 funeral statues.” Those glazed ceramic statues turned out to be ushabtis—figurines often buried to serve royals in the afterlife. The ushabtis were enshrouded in layers of silt, “near an uncarved granite coffin that had previously been found without identifying its owner,” the ministry wrote. It had been thought to house one of Osorkon II’s servants. But, closer study revealed that these ushabtis are inscribed with hieroglyphs referencing Shoshenq III, implying that the coffin is his.
The ushabtis where they were found.
Meanwhile, Shoshenq III already has his own Tanis tomb inscribed to him. But, relics found there bear inscriptions to Shoshenq IV, a later pharaoh of the 23rd dynasty. So, which body is the real Shoshenq III? And, if his remains are actually housed in the tomb of Osorkon II, was he originally interred there, or was he later exhumed and moved? If the latter option turns out to be the case, then who decided to relocate Shoshenq III? Was it Shoshenq IV? And, most importantly, why did they do it?
As it stands, possibilities abound. Tomb reuse was common, and Shoshenq III’s reign wasn’t smooth. Osorkon II’s death triggered a crisis around who would succeed him—so it’s possible that Shoshenq III was not seen as a legitimate ruler. To that end, Shoshenq III had to bat down rival kings and face civil war while overseeing a fragmented Egypt throughout his four-decade rule. The persistent gaps and inaccuracies dogging the chaotic Third Intermediate Period only increase this mystery’s opacity.
“The Tanis site still holds many secrets that have not yet been discovered, which requires the continuation of excavation and restoration work as one of the most important royal centers of the Third Transition era,” the Egyptian authorities noted. Next, they’ll study new carvings they also found in this northern chamber of Oskaron II’s tomb—and hope that their continued conservation efforts reveal more pieces of the puzzle.
By Vittoria Benzine.
Pharaoh Osorkon II’s tomb at Tanis.
