The find represents "an important historical and archaeological addition to the site," Mustafa Waziri, the secretary-general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, said.
68 were constructed during the Buto 1 and 2 civilizations, which began in 3300 B.C.; five were constructed during the Naqada Ill civilization, which preceded the unification of Egypt in 3000 B.C; and the remaining 37 were constructed during the "transition era" known as the Hyksos period, when Western Asian nomads wrested control of the country from the pharaohs between 1650 B.C and 1500 B.C, according to Al Jazeera.
This is an extremely interesting cemetery because it combines some of the earliest periods of Egyptian history with another important era, the time of the Hyksos," Salima Ikram, an Egyptologist at the American University in Cairo, told Reuters.
"(Scholars) are working to understand how the Egyptians and the Hyksos lived together and to what degree the former took on Egyptian traditions."
Interestingly, the tombs differ in shape and the corpses within are positioned depending on their age.
The 68 Buto tombs and the five Naqada tombs, which are oval, contain corpses that are curled in the fetal position and facing sideways, Ayman Ashmawi, the head of the Egyptian antiquities sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
Terjemahan
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Ahli Mesir Kuno yang bekerja di situs arkeologi Koum el-Khulgan, yang terletak di timur laut Kairo, telah menemukan 110 makam, termasuk 73 makam yang ada sebelum zaman firaun.
Temuan itu mewakili "Penambahan sejarah dan arkeologi penting ke situs itu," Mustafa Waziri, sekretaris jenderal Dewan Tertinggi Barang Purbakala Mesir, mengatakan.
68 dibangun selama peradaban Buto satu dan dua, yang dimulai pada 3300 SM; lima dibangun selama peradaban Naqada III, yang mendahului penyatuan Mesir pada 3000 SM; dan 37 sisanya dibangun selama "era transisi" yang dikenal sebagai periode Hyksos, ketika pengembara Asia Barat merebut kendali negara dari firaun antara 1650 SM dan 1500 SM, menurut Al Jazeera.
Ini adalah kuburan yang sangat menarik karena menggabungkan beberapa periode awal sejarah Mesir dengan era penting lainnya, waktu Hyksos," Salima Ikram, seorang ahli Mesir Kuno di Universitas Amerika di Kairo, mengatakan kepada Reuters.