Archaeologists in Egypt have uncovered a stunning treasure trove hidden inside an ancient royal tomb, a discovery so rare it is rewriting history. 

Buried deep beneath the sands of Tanis, researchers found 225 exquisitely crafted funerary figurines arranged in a mysterious ceremonial pattern, yet the tomb itself was empty of a body. 

The find has electrified the archaeological world, not only for its scale but for its baffling implications. 

More than half of the figurines are female, an almost unheard-of feature in royal burials, raising new questions about funerary customs during Egypt’s fractured Third Intermediate Period. 

The figurines were laid out in a star-like formation and in perfect horizontal rows, suggesting an intentional ritual design untouched for nearly 3,000 years. 

This is the first time in almost 80 years that figurines have been discovered undisturbed inside a royal tomb at Tanis, making it one of the most significant finds at the site since the 1940s. 

Most astonishing of all, the royal symbols on the miniature servants confirm that the empty tomb belonged to Pharaoh Shoshenq III, a ruler whose final resting place has puzzled Egyptologists for decades.  He reigned from 830 to 791 BC.

The revelation overturns long-held assumptions and reignites the mystery of why the pharaoh never made it into his own tomb. 

The excavation team carefully removed the figurines over 10 days, working through the night to preserve their fragile condition. 

After the study, the figurines will be displayed in an Egyptian museum, offering the public a rare glimpse into the burial practices of one of Egypt's most enigmatic pharaohs.

French egyptologist Frederic Payraudeau told reporters in Paris on Friday that the discovery was 'astonishing' because the walls of a different tomb at the site, and the largest sarcophagus there, bear his name.

'Why isn't he buried in this tomb?' the Payraudeau asked.

'Obviously, for a pharaoh, building a tomb is a gamble because you can never be sure your successor will bury you there,' he said.

'Clearly, we have new proof that these gambles are not always successful,' Payraudeau said with a smile.

Shoshenq III ruled during Egypt’s Third Intermediate Period, a time marked by political fragmentation and frequent power struggles.

His four-decade reign was turbulent, marred by a 'very bloody civil war between upper and lower Egypt, with several pharaohs fighting for power,' he said.

So it is possible that the royal succession did not go as planned and the pharaoh was not buried in his chosen tomb.

Another possibility is that his remains were moved later due to looting.

French Egyptologist Pierre Montet first uncovered the limestone tomb in 1939, located adjacent to the Temple of Amun. 

Although the tomb had been looted in ancient times, the largest of its four chambers still held the granite sarcophagus of Osorkon II, a pharaoh of Egypt's 22nd Dynasty. 

The team has already excavated the other three corners of a narrow tomb occupied by an imposing, unnamed sarcophagus.

'When we saw three or four figurines together, we knew right away it was going to be amazing,' Payraudeau said.

'I ran out to tell my colleagues and the officials. After that, it was a real struggle. It was the day before the weekend, normally, we stop at 2 pm. We thought: 'This is not possible.''

Such a find has also never happened before further south in Egypt's Valley of the Kings near modern Luxor,  apart from the tomb of the famous boy king Tutankhamun in 1922, because most such sites have been looted throughout history, Payraudeau added.