Starting in 2017, archaeologist Pearce Paul Creasman led a daring mission to explore the flooded tomb of King Nastasen at Nuri, last buried there over 2,000 years ago. Scuba divers navigated three subterranean chambers submerged by Nile groundwater, recovering shabti figures and delicate gold foil that hints the tomb may never have been fully looted.
Scuba diving expedition explores flooded tomb of King Nastasen at Nuri
Key facts
- Pearce Paul Creasman began an archaeological mission at Nuri in 2017
- King Nastasen was the last known king buried at Nuri, more than 2,000 years ago
- His tomb contains three successive subterranean chambers reached through a ceremonial staircase
- Groundwater from the Nile has flooded much of the complex, requiring scuba diving for excavation
- Inside the deepest chamber, divers found a massive stone sarcophagus submerged under several feet of water
- Excavation of sediment produced shabti figures and thin fragments of pure gold foil
- Scattered gold suggests grave robbers may never have thoroughly looted Nastasen's burial
- The expedition was forced to stop before fully excavating the deepest burial chamber
Site mentioned
📍 Nuri🌍 Show on the globe
Sources
Pearce Paul Creasmanpearcepaul.com
I direct the archaeological excavations at the ancient pyramids of Nuri, Sudan. Nuri was the royal cemetery for the biblical pharaoh of Egypt Taharqa and the ...
Nuri Pyramidsnuripyramids.org
... Nuri is composed of dozens of scholars and specialists. The project is directed by Prof. Pearce Paul Creasman, with the assistance of those noted below.
Pearce Paul Creasman - Explorer Home - National Geographic Societyexplorers.nationalgeographic.org
Pearce Paul Creasman. Archaeologist, Pyramid Diver, Egyptologist ... Nuri, Sudan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Creasman holds a Ph.D. in ...
Sudan tomb diver reveals pharaoh's secrets - BBCbbc.com
Pearce Paul Creasman and his team were the first people to go into the tomb for 100 years and, in that time, it has become harder to access ...
Pearce Paul Creasman - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
... Nuri, Sudan. His primary research interests are maritime life in ancient Egypt, Sudanese/Egyptian archaeology, underwater archaeology, and human/environment ...
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