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To the average person with a passing interest in Ancient Egypt, they will heard of The Sphinx, The Pyramids, The Valley of the Kings and the tomb of King Tutankhamen, the latter being arguably the great archaeological discovery of all time due to the vast amounts of treasure unearthed by explorer, Howard Carter.
King Tutankhamen’s tomb is of course world famous, with sell-out exhibitions as the collection of priceless artefacts tour the world, most recently in Paris.
But there is another royal Egyptian treasure trove that for some reason has escaped the limelight. It was found in the city of Tanis, located in the Nile Delta northeast of Cairo and, in many ways, it is actually far more spectacular than that of the 18th dynasty boy-king.
It is known as the Treasures of Tanis and the priceless artefacts were found in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The excavated area consisted of an entire complex of royal tombs, and, unlike the tomb of Tutankhamen, one was found perfectly intact. In total the hoard of precious artefacts include four solid gold death masks, two beautiful and incredible solid silver coffins lined with gold and spectacular examples of Ancient Egyptian jewellery made from the most precious metals and stones.
They were discovered by Pierre Montet but because of the Second World War, the finds from Tanis went largely ignored with the media focussing their attention elsewhere.
Watch this video to find out about the Treasures of Tanis, about Pierre Montet, Pharaoh Psusennes, Osorkon and Sheshenq II, and why these stunning priceless discoveries made from gold, silver and gemstones could well be the greatest treasure ever discovered in Egypt.
Sources:
Mystery of the Silver Pharaoh documentary by National Geographic
All images are taken from Google Images and the above sources for educational purposes only.
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