Archaeologist Pearce Paul Creasman began work at Nuri in 2017, and his expedition began excavating King Nastasen’s now-flooded tomb in 2018. Scuba divers explored three subterranean chambers, finding a massive stone sarcophagus, shabti figures and gold foil. Scattered gold suggests the burial was looted but perhaps not completely. Work stopped before the deepest chamber was fully excavated.
Scuba expedition explores Nastasen’s flooded tomb at Nuri
Site mentioned
📍 Nuri🌍 Show on the globe
Key facts
- Creasman began work at Nuri in 2017; the expedition began excavating Nastasen’s now-underwater tomb in 2018.
- Nastasen, who ruled Nubia around 335–310 BC, was the last known Kushite king interred at Nuri, more than 2,000 years ago.
- A processional staircase leads to three successive subterranean burial chambers.
- Nile groundwater flooded much of the tomb complex, requiring scuba divers to excavate it.
- Divers found a massive stone sarcophagus in the deepest chamber under several feet of water.
- Excavated sediment contained shabti figures and fragments of gold foil.
- Scattered gold suggests the burial may not have been completely looted.
- The expedition stopped before fully excavating the deepest chamber.
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 ...
Nastasenen.wikipedia.org
The tomb of Nastasen is among several in Nuri that are slated for excavation by archaeologist Pearce Paul Creasman and his Nuri Archaeological Expedition
Dive beneath the pyramids of Sudan's black pharaohsnationalgeographic.com
In order to access the tomb of pharaoh Nastasen, archaeologists had to excavate the processional staircase that leads to the burial chambers ...
How the King of Kush Was Discovered in a Flooded Tombabandonedspaces.com
Dive into the depths of history with a look at the King Nastasen tomb excavation, where underwater mysteries of the Kushite ruler are unveiled.
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