Archaeologists in Egypt unearthed a colorful tomb that was erected four millennia ago for the pharaoh’s chief doctor. The well-preserved wall paintings and inscriptions they found provide fascinating insights into the wide-ranging duties of an ancient Egyptian physician.
Ancient Tomb in Saqqara Belonged to Doctor
The joint French-Swiss archaeological team was working in Saqqara, an Egyptian village that contains the ancient burial grounds of Egyptian royalty, including several pyramid complexes. Saqarra is located about 20 miles south of Cairo, Egypt’s modern-day capital city. It once served as the necropolis for Memphis, the capital of ancient Egypt.
The team most recently unearthed a 4,100-year-old Mustaba tomb that belonged to an ancient pharaoh’s chief doctor. A Mustaba tomb is a rectangular mud-brick structure with a flat roof and sloping sides. “Mustaba” comes from the Arabic word for “bench,” which such tombs resemble. Archaeologists found nothing inside the tomb besides well-preserved wall paintings and inscriptions. “It had been ransacked almost completely,” said team leader and Egyptologist Philippe Collombert, so there were no human remains or ancient artifacts to be excavated.
Decorations Illustrate Many Roles of the Pharaoh’s Doctor
In a blog post, the archaeological team wrote that the tomb of the pharaoh’s doctor is “entirely decorated with paintings in bright, fresh colors. It’s easy to forget that they are 4,000 years old.” The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a statement, “Despite evidence of ancient looting, the tomb’s walls remain intact, offering a rare glimpse into daily life and cultural practices during the Old Kingdom.”
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Decorations in the tomb of the pharaoh’s doctor include a vibrantly painted false door, carved funerary scenes, and a stone sarcophagus bearing the name of Teti Neb Fu. The inscriptions on the sarcophagus also list various titles, including chief doctor and dentist at the palace, director of medicinal plants, and priest and magician of the ancient Egyptian goddess Serket. Because Serket was associated with the healing of venomous wounds, Teti Neb Fu was likely “a specialist in poisonous bites,” explained Collombert.
Who Was Teti Nab Fu?
As the pharaoh’s doctor, Teti Nab Fu would have overseen the region’s healthcare system, which was universally accessible and provided dentistry, bone setting, and non-invasive surgeries, as well as various pharmacological treatments. Experts are not certain which pharaohs were served by Teti Nab Fu. According to Collombert, Pepi II Neferkare was likely among them. Pepi II was the fifth king of the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt’s Old Kingdom. His reign, which began around 2278 BCE, saw the dramatic decline of the Old Kingdom’s power. The First Intermediate Period of Egypt began shortly thereafter, during which Egypt was divided into upper and lower kingdoms.
