They discover new secrets of the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun a century after the 'curse' was unleashed

By Kelly Cobiella, Laura Saravia and Leila Sackur -

A century after the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb made news around the world, a team of researchers labors in the stifling heat of the desert outside Cairo and continues to make new discoveries about ancient Egypt.

Excavating carefully, layer by layer, at the Saqqara site in Giza, scooping out the earth one bucket at a time, archaeologists found a giant trove of ancient coffins and mummies, with thick papyrus and ceramic amulets that may have been used in funerary rituals. .

Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, a former Egyptian minister for antiquities, told NBC News that the site contained countless artifacts related to another pharaoh, King Teti, and his followers, who worshiped him as a god for 1,000 years.

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The remains of King Tutankhamun's close generals and advisers were also in the town, which is about 20 miles south of the North African nation's capital, the expert said.

"I think this year and next year this archaeological site will be the most important in Egypt," Hawass said, referring to a network of underground rooms hidden 65 feet below Egypt's oldest pyramids.

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"So far, we have only found 30% of our monuments. 70% are still buried underground," Hawass insisted.

The discovery of so many coffins could be because "Teti was worshiped as a god in the New Kingdom and everyone wanted to be buried next to him," Hawass said.

This year his team found about 300, most of them in good condition, in the vicinity of the pyramid.

Teti is believed to have ruled for 12 years between 2300 and 2181 BC, and was the first king of the Sixth Dynasty of ancient Egypt.

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Teti's sarcophagus is 4,300 years old, and others continued to be buried nearby for more than a millennium for protection, according to Hawass.

After exhuming the mummies, archaeologists take X-rays to determine their age and cause of death, and what illnesses they might have had.

They then begin a careful conservation process and begin to record and file the antiques.

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Hawass said the found coffins and antiquities will likely go on display at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, which is scheduled to open next year, though the project has stalled on several occasions due to political instability and lack of government funding. according to the museum's website.

Numerous objects associated with Tutankhamun will be displayed there, although the famous death mask and sarcophagus of the boy king are in the Cairo museum to boost tourism, Hawass said.

Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922 nearly 400 miles south of Giza in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor.

His discovery generated an unsupported popular legend about a possible curse for disturbing the pharaoh's rest.

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It is believed that he became pharaoh when he was 8 or 9 years old, around 1334 BC, and ruled until he died 10 years later, despite suffering from numerous diseases and disabilities, including flat feet, circulatory problems and malaria.

The tomb was almost completely intact when Carter found it.

"Inside he discovered four large shrines and pulled them out with ropes," Hawass explained.

Underneath he found three golden coffins, he said, and some 5,000 artifacts in the burial chambers, including a golden dagger to protect him in the Afterlife, and an ornate throne engraved with his parents' love story.

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"In ancient Egypt, gold was like dust," said Hawass, who was unable to quantify how much this heritage is worth to modern Egyptians.

"As an archaeologist, if they gave me all the money from the United States and England, I would say no. This belongs to everyone," he said.