Sealed wine vessels found within the tomb of the First Dynasty Egyptian Queen Meret-Neith.

A group of archaeologists from Germany and Austria have uncovered a collection of sealed wine vessels while excavating the tomb of the First Dynasty Egyptian Queen Meret-Neith at Abydos in Upper Egypt, according to a press release issued by Universität Wien on 9 October 2023. The tomb was sealed around 5000 years ago, and includes a large quantity of grave goods, including hundreds of sealed jars, which have been found to contain an organic residue thought to be the remnants of ancient wine, as well as many preserved grape seeds.

5000-year-old wine jars in the tomb of Queen Meret-Neith in Abydos during the excavation. The jars are in their original context and some of them are still sealed. Christiana Köhler/Universität Wien.

The cemetery at Abydos is the most ancient cemetery from dynastic Egypt, and the only monumental tomb at the site dedicated to a woman is that of Meret-Neith, which has led to speculation that she may have ruled as a Pharoah in her own right, after the death of Djet, the fourth Pharoah of the First Dynasty; although the relationship between the two is slightly unclear. Djet and Meret-Neith were probably brother and sister, both being children of Djer, the Third Pharoah, and great-grandchildren of Narmer, the First Pharoah. Thus Meret-Neith might have been the wife and consort of Djet as well as his sister, and never Pharoah in her own right, the wife of Djet who succeeded him as Pharoah after his death, or his sister, married to someone else, who succeeded Djet after he died. What is known is that she was the mother of Den, who succeeded either Djet or Meret-Neith as Pharoah, and ruled for 42 years. 

These excellently preserved grape seeds were found in the sealed wine jars in the tomb of Queen Meret-Neith in Abydos. Christiana Köhler/Universität Wien.

Meret-Neith lived over a thousand years before the first woman known to have definitely reigned as a Pharoah in her own right, the Eighteenth Dynasty Queen Hatshepsut, but surprisingly, if she did rule as a Pharoah in her own right, she may not have been the first woman to have done so, with Neithhotep, who was probably the wife of Narmer, possibly also having ruled after her husband's death.

The tomb complex of Queen Meret-Neith in Abydos during excavation. The Queen's burial chamber lies in the centre of the complex and is surrounded by the secondary tombs of the courtiers and servants. Christiana Köhler/Universität Wien.

The tombs at Abydos are complex, with the primary occupant occupying a large central burial chamber, surrounded by smaller tombs containing courtiers and servants. This led early twentieth century archaeologists to conclude that the court of each Pharoah was ritually killed on his (or her) death, and buried alongside their ruler. However, modern excavations which accurate dating methods have shown that the occupants of the outer parts of the tomb were not all buried at the same time, presumably being placed in the tomb when they died of natural causes, presumably as a reward for loyal service.

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