Rare wooden statue of ancient scribe found in Egypt

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CAIRO, Feb 19, 2007 (AFP) - Archaeologists have found a rare double wooden statue of an ancient Egyptian scribe and his wife near a pyramid in Saqqara, south of Cairo, the country's supreme council of antiquities said Monday.

The double statue of Ha-Kay and his wife Spri-Ankh was found in a "mud brick tomb dating back to the late fifth dynasty and early sixth dynasty", or around the middle of the 24th century BC, said a statement.

"It is a unique statue," said antiquities chief Zahi Hawass. "In general double-seated statues are made of limestone and are rarely carved in wood."

The writer of sacred records and his wife were buried in a necropolis near the pyramid built for Teti, the first pharaoh of the sixth dynasty, the statement said.

The site was discovered by a team of Egyptian and Australian archaeologists who have been excavating in the Saqqara necropolis since the early 1970s.

ra-jmm/cjo

Egypt-Australia-archeology