Archaeologists discover the lost 'Book of the Dead' buried for thousands of years

Archaeologists in Egypt have made a significant discovery: a lost cemetery dating back 3,500 years, containing a wealth of ancient artefacts including mummies, statues, and an exceptionally rare 43-foot-long papyrus scroll containing part of the ‘Book of the Dead’.

The scroll was found in the Al-Ghuraifa area back in 2023 and is "characterised by being in good condition," according to Mostafa Waziry, the then-secretary general of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities. This manuscript was designed to assist the deceased in navigating the afterlife, a crucial element of Egyptian funerary tradition.

Commonly known as the Book of the Dead, this name is a modern term referring to a collection of texts with various purposes, such as guiding souls through the underworld.

The original Egyptian name for these texts is often translated as the 'Book of Coming Forth by Day,' and excerpts from these texts were sometimes included in burials.

The cemetery dates from the New Kingdom period (around 1550 to 1070 BCE).

Alongside the scroll, excavations revealed mummies, sarcophagi, amulets, and many "shabti" figurines – also known as ushabti –which were intended to serve the dead in the afterlife, as stated in a release from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

Lara Weiss, CEO of Germany’s Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum and a scholar familiar with the Book of the Dead, told Live Science that "if it's that long and well-preserved [then it's] certainly a great and interesting find."

The excavation also uncovered many canopic jars, which were used to hold the organs of the deceased. Additionally, remains of stone sarcophagi, which once contained wooden coffins, were found.

Indy100 reached out to Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities for comment

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