{
  "id": 1610129,
  "title": "How burial trends in an Ancient Egyptian tomb changed over hundreds of years",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/how-burial-trends-in-an-ancient-egyptian-tomb-changed-over-hundreds",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-18T02:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/08/18/how-burial-trends-in-an-ancient-egyptian-tomb-changed-over-hundreds-of-years/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the Theban Necropolis near Luxor, archaeologists have discovered how burial customs in Ancient Egypt evolved over a span of nearly two millennia. Researchers from the University of La Laguna meticulously studied a tomb that saw use and reuse from the 25th Dynasty (754-656 BC) to the Ptolemaic period (305–30 BC) before being abandoned. Inside the tomb, they unearthed 16 mummified humans, one dog, and remnants of at least four more individuals. The bodies were treated differently over time. Initially, they were placed in individual coffins, complete with funerary nets, amulets, and costly items placed in Phoenician amphorae. However, later on, bodies were buried much closer together, sometimes stacked on top of each other, with folded arms rather than stretched out.\n\nIn one section, four mummies and a dog were buried vertically on top of one another in the Ptolemaic period. Dr Miguel Angel Molinero Polo, the senior author, noted that the earliest occupants were likely of high social standing, as evidenced by the elaborate funerary rites given to them. Dr Jared Carballo-Perez, the first author, found it interesting that a mummified dog was placed directly on top of the mummies of a man and a woman, suggesting a close relationship between humans and animals, or possibly representing a new ritual where an animal served as a psychopomp or symbolic helper in the afterlife journey. Dr Carballo-Perez explained that these changes were likely a result of both practical constraints due to limited space and evolving funerary practices. While the tomb became more densely occupied, it was not a straightforward shift from elite to general use. The initial burials involved significant investment with coffins, nets, amulets, and imported items, while later occupants had different assemblages or no coffins but were still carefully mummified. This transformation indicates a shift in how people invested in the deceased rather than a decline in social status.\n\nThe researchers faced challenges in identifying who was re-entering the tomb to conduct funerary rites, as the archaeological evidence did not directly reveal their identities. They were likely relatives or specialized funeral specialists, but could not be pinpointed with certainty. The findings suggest that the tomb was not disordered or devoid of structure, nor did cultural rites disappear. Instead, the chamber was repeatedly activated and reconfigured by new burials, transforming its organization without erasing the past. The study was published in Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology. Some sections of the tomb could not be precisely reconstructed due to century-long use, during which the chamber experienced flooding multiple times and human re-entry that shifted debris inside the tomb.",
  "summary": "Archaeological investigations inside a tomb at the Theban Necropolis, opposite Luxor, have shown how burial rituals in Ancient Egypt altered due to changes in customs, and more practical reasons such as space. Spanish researchers studied one of the 400 tombs at the 4,000-year-old necropolis on the west bank of the Nile . The team from the University of La Laguna excavated the chamber,…",
  "key_points": [
    "Burial customs evolved in Theban Necropolis tomb over 2,000 years.",
    "Early occupants received elaborate funerary rites with coffins and amulets.",
    "Later occupants buried densely packed, with some stacked on top of each other."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "How burial trends in an Ancient Egyptian tomb changed over hundreds of years",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/how-burial-trends-in-an-ancient-egyptian-tomb-changed-over-hundreds-1615034",
        "published": "2026-08-18T02:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}