Saqqara archaeologists discover tomb of high-ranking official Weni

Archaeologists conducting excavations in the Saqqara necropolis near Cairo have uncovered the tomb of Weni, a high-ranking official from Egypt’s Old Kingdom. The discovery, made by an Egyptian mission coordinated by the Supreme Council of Antiquities, reveals a mud-brick mastaba located northwest of the pyramid of Pharaoh Merenre of the Sixth Dynasty.

Inscriptions within the tomb identify Weni as a figure of immense influence, holding titles such as mayor, priest, supervisor of royal apartments, treasurer of the House of the North, and companion to the sovereign. The tomb contains several funerary shafts, including one leading to a burial chamber with well-preserved wall decorations and inscriptions.

Among the recovered artifacts are two small wooden statues in unusual worship poses and a collection of bronze objects that may have served as medical or surgical tools. The discovery provides new insights into the administrative and religious elite of the Memphis era and raises questions regarding the history of medical practices during the Old Kingdom.