The 3,300-year-old tomb is filled with gold jewelry and precious stones

A research team found many objects of gold, silver and bronze, as well as rubies, lapis lazuli and amber in the tombs of a noble family of the Bronze Age.

Archaeologists from the University of Gothenburg excavated two tombs in the Bronze Age city of Hala Sultan Tekke in Cyprus. They discovered more than 150 sets of remains and nearly 500 artifacts, including gold jewelry, precious stones and ceramics dating to around 1350 BC.

A golden crown buried with children's remains.

Since 2010, the Söderberg expedition has conducted several excavations in Cyprus. In 2018, the archaeological team found two underground chambers with a large number of remains. Processing the discovery required meticulous manipulation over four years because the bones were very fragile after more than 3,000 years under the salty soil. The remains and burial items were stacked in layers, indicating that the tomb was used for generations.

The analysis shows that this is the family tomb of the ruling elite of the city. For example, the team found the skeleton of a 5-year-old child with a gold necklace, earrings and crown. This could be a child from a very powerful and wealthy family, according to Professor Peter Fischer, head of the excavation team. .

Discoveries include jewelry and other objects crafted from gold, silver, bronze, ivory and precious stones, along with ornate vases from many cultures. Experts unearthed a ceramic cow. The hollow body of the cow has two holes, one on the back for pouring liquid like alcohol and one in the nose for drinking.

A particularly important find was a cylindrical seal made of the mineral hematite with cuneiform inscriptions from the Mesopotamian civilization (present-day Iraq). In addition, the team also found red carnelian semiprecious stones from India, blue lapis lazuli from Afghanistan and amber from the Baltic Sea. This proves that the city played an important role in Bronze Age trade. Gold jewelry with amulets in the form of beetles and fish carcasses imported from the Nile valley.

By comparing with similar finds from Egypt, Fischer and his colleagues were able to date the jewelry. The results showed that most of the objects were born during the reign of queen Nefertiti and her husband Echnaton around 1350 BC, including a lotus-shaped gold pendant and encrusted with precious stones. Queen Nefertiti also wears similar jewelry. The next step in the research is to analyze the DNA of the remains.