Burial chamber for unknown pharaoh found By Philadelphia Inquirer, adapted by Newsela staff on 01.21.14 Word Count 496 Level 790L A display at the National Gallery of Art includes a full-size reconstruction of the burial chamber of the New Kingdom pharaoh Thutmose III, who ruled in the 18th dynasty from 1479 to 1424 B.C. Chuck Kennedy/KRT PHILADELPHIA — Archaeologists from the University of Pennsylvania have found something amazing: the tomb of a previously unknown Egyptian pharaoh. They believe that the pharaoh, or king, ruled more than 3,600 years ago. Archaeologists study ancient peoples by looking at their bones and the tools they used. The ones who found the tomb say this is only the first discovery. They expect to uncover more than a dozen tombs. The archaeologists believe that all of them contain members of a forgotten dynasty, or line of rulers. The tomb was found last week. It had been robbed, however, writing on the chamber walls clearly shows whose tomb it is. It belonged to a ruler named Woseribre Senebkay. Digging For A Dynasty The archaeologists already have begun digging at several nearby sites which all appear to be from the same dynasty. All are located where the ancient city of Abydos once stood. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. “It looks like there’s a whole royal necropolis of this lost dynasty,” said Josef Wegner, who led the expedition. Necropolis is the term for an ancient cemetery. It literally means "city of the dead." Archaeologists already knew that unknown pharaohs might someday be found because of an ancient list of rulers called the Turin King List. There are names on it that were unfamiliar to archaeologists. The name Senebkay seems to match one of the names on the list, said Wegner. “They basically were forgotten to history,” Wegner said. “In the later king lists, they don’t appear. They just kind of vanish.” The tomb has been dated to 1650 B.C. It was raided by tomb robbers in ancient times, Wegner said. Woseribre Senebkay probably stood about 5 feet 10 inches. He appears to have died in his 40s. A 60-Ton Stone Chamber The tomb contained parts of a funeral mask, a coffin and a cedar chest. The chest would have been used to hold the king’s organs: his heart, his liver and so on. It was common to remove the organs of ancient Egyptians before they were buried. The chest that held his organs seems to have been reused. It seems to have been taken from the nearby tomb of an earlier king, named Sobekhotep. Sobekhotep was already known to history. The string of discoveries began last year when Wegner and others came across a 60-ton stone chamber. It was built to house a sarcophagus, which is a carved stone box that Egyptian coffins were placed in. The sarcophagus chamber appeared to have been moved. Its original owner was identified as Sobekhotep. Wegner and the others are still trying to figure out the king for whom it was reused. Woseribre Senebkay's tomb was discovered near the 60-ton chamber. The tombs of other members of his dynasty are thought to lie nearby. Senebkay’s tomb is painted with pictures of various goddesses, including Nut, Nephthys, Selket and Isis. Senebkay ruled during the so-called Second Intermediate Period. At the time, several dynasties were fighting for power. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com..