Rare, ancient wooden statue found in Egypt

MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
CAIRO, Egypt -- A joint Egyptian-Australian archeological team carrying out excavations near Egypt's ancient capital, Memphis, have found a rare wooden statue dating back more than 4,000 years.
The statue, representing a scribe and his wife, is the first known Dynastic Period example of double wooden sculpture to have survived, with all previous such finds carved in limestone, said Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.
"We see the statue as a great rarity," he said. "This is the first time archeologists have discovered a double wooden statue."
The unique artifact has been uncovered in the Saqqara necropolis, in the tomb of the scribe Ka-Hay, who lived between the late Fifth Dynasty Period (2508-2350 B.C.) and the beginning of the Sixth (2350-2200 B.C.), Hawass said.
Four other wooden statues of lesser importance have also been found in Ka-Hay's tomb, as well as two tables for offerings and a blind door to allow the spirit of the deceased to come and go.