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Page last updated at 18:38 GMT, Monday, 4 January 2010
By Yolande Knell BBC News, Cairo
Archaeologists in Egypt have said they have discovered the largest known tomb in the ancient necropolis of Sakkara, to the south of Cairo.
The tomb dates back 2,500 years to the 26th Dynasty and contains important artefacts, including mummified eagles.
It is one of two newly discovered tombs found by an Egyptian team working close to the entrance of Sakkara, the burial ground for Egypt's ancient capital.
The tomb consists of a big hall hewn out of the limestone rock.
There are a number of small rooms and passageways where ancient coffins, skeletons and well-preserved clay pots were discovered, as well as the mummies of eagles.
Egypt's chief archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, who announced the discovery, said that early investigations showed that although the tomb dated back to the 26th Dynasty, it had been used several times.
He said it was most likely to have been robbed at the end of the Roman period.
Other excavations at Sakkara are continuing and Dr Hawass said the latest finds confirm that the site still contains undiscovered secrets.
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