CAIRO — The Egyptian government announced Oct. 30 the discovery of the tomb of Ptahemwia, head of the treasury during the reign of King Ramses II (Ramses the Great), who ruled Egypt for 66 years between 1279 and 1213 B.C.

The Egyptian authorities said in a press statement, "A mission from the Faculty of Archaeology at Cairo University headed by Ola al-Ajezy succeeded in discovering the tomb during excavations in the Saqqara area, south of the ascending road of King Unas.”

Archaeologists and officials in Egypt praised the historical discovery, given the status of the tomb owner and the new information that the tomb can reveal about the reign of King Ramses II. Mustafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said in statements included in the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities’ statement, “The discovery site includes the tombs of senior modern statesmen from the era of the 19th dynasty and complementing the site of the tombs of the 18th dynasty, the most important of which is the site of military commander Hor Moheb.”

Waziri continued, “The importance of the tomb stems from the positions held by its owner as the royal scribe, head of the treasury, chief supervisor of livestock and the one responsible for divine offerings in the Temple of Ramses II in Thebes.”