Tony Robinson visited Gebel el-Silsila to meet with archaeologist John Ward for his new Channel 5 show “Egyptian Tomb Hunting,” who had uncovered what he believed to be an entrance to a hidden chamber. The hole, which scaled down more than 20 feet, was completely filled with water. Unsure on the source of the pool, the pair used pumps in a bid to get a look at what could be hiding inside.
After crawling on their hands and knees through a thick layer of mud, they got to a huge chamber, with another door awaiting them ahead.
Mr Robinson asked: “Look at it, what do you reckon would be in there?”
Before Mr Ward responded: “I don’t know, it’s totally different to any of our tombs that we’ve found in Silsila.
“If that secondary chamber is another burial, we’re not talking about 50-60 people plus.”
Mr Robinson was stunned by the tomb, adding: “And all their bits and pieces are mixed in beneath our knees, like human soup.
“The idea that so many people might be down here is pretty eerie, and some of them at least must have been of real status.
“This chamber has been carefully chiselled out, and this doorway beautifully finished.”
The pair began excavating the tomb, getting completely covered in dirt in the process.
Mr Ward told viewers: “What’s intriguing me is that the ceiling is vaulted, it has got an arch to it.
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“But as the water level inside the chamber goes down, there’s a discovery in the very far corner.
“Looks like a handle, it’s a pot, a big, big pot, it’s a huge pot, look how far it goes [back].
“I’m fairly sure we’ve discovered a large amphora, I can even feel the rounded bottom, it must be at least two foot tall.
“In all my years of finding pottery, I’ve never found anything like this, it’s like a huge whale.”
Mr Ward then explained how incredible the find was, adding: “It would have held some kind of food substance that was buried with the dead.
“What I love is that it’s actually intact, that it’s beautiful.”
Earlier in the series, Mr Ward also explained how this region of ancient Egypt was the hub for workers sculpturing limestone for the Giza Plateau after uncovering a secret sphinx.
He said: “Well, Silsilia is not just famous for its quarries, it was a workshop for anything that was made for sandstone.
“This poor old girl (sphinx), unfortunately, due to the cracking, was abandoned.”