A study conducted by Spanish researchers at the Theban Western Cemetery in Egypt, which contains more than 400 tombs, has revealed detailed information about how one of these tombs was used and reused over the centuries.
The team focused on the third chamber in tomb TT 209, located opposite the city of Luxor, where they analyzed its mummies to trace the evolution of burial practices from the 25th Dynasty (754-656 BC) to the Ptolemaic period (305-30 BC), when it was finally abandoned.
Researcher Dr. Jardo Carballo-Perez of the University of La Laguna, lead author of the study published in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology, said the team found 16 human mummies, a mummified dog, and the remains of at least four other individuals in a disorganized state inside the chamber.
He explained that the study showed that these burials were not random, but followed a clear spatial organization, where each new burial took into account the location of previous burials, as if the cemetery retained a “funerary memory” that was reused repeatedly.
For his part, Dr. Miguel Angel Molinero Polo, co-professor of Egyptology in the study, added that researchers generally lack sufficient information about the behaviors and motivations of those who entered tombs in each era, and how they reshaped ancient spaces, and this tomb offers a rare opportunity to understand that.
When studying the oldest layers, researchers found that the earliest burials were separate, with the bodies placed in coffins adorned with funerary nets and amulets, along with valuable artifacts such as Phoenician amphorae (relatively large, ancient pottery jars or vessels with two handles and a narrow neck). Molinero Polo suggested that these individuals were likely from a high social class.
But towards the end of the 25th Dynasty and the beginning of the Persian period (c. 680-404 BC), the pattern changed, as bodies began to be placed in any available space, increasing burial density. The positioning of limbs also changed, with arms being bent rather than extended, and burials shifted from individual to stacked, with bodies being piled on top of each other in two-thirds of the chamber tombs.
In the southeastern part of the chamber, specifically dating to the Ptolemaic period, the team discovered four mummies and a mummified dog buried on top of each other. Although no coffins were found, the bodies had undergone meticulous mummification, and were accompanied by vertical jars, suggesting new rituals not present in earlier periods.
Carballo-Pérez described the presence of the mummified dog atop the mummies of a man and a woman as a "beautiful detail," possibly reflecting a close relationship between them and the animal. Molinero Polo, on the other hand, suggested the dog may have played a symbolic role as a guide for the soul on its journey to the afterlife, a role known in Egyptology as that of a "psychopomp."
Furthermore, a change in the positioning of bodies was observed in later burials, with arms folded across the chest in what is known as the "Osiris pose." Researchers believe these changes do not signify chaos or the disappearance of rituals, but rather indicate that the cemetery was a living space that was constantly revitalized and reshaped, while respecting the past and preserving it.
The team acknowledged that determining the precise sequence of burials and their purpose is not easy, due to repeated flooding, fires, and human intrusions that moved debris within the cemetery over the centuries. However, they emphasized that their study allows for a reinterpretation of burials previously described as "chaotic," contributing to a deeper understanding of the social behaviors associated with funerary rites in ancient Egypt.
