So read the headline in the 1 March 1909 edition of New Zealand's Grey River Argus.
It continues with an account of the February 1905 discovery of the golden tomb of Yuya and Tjuyu (KV 46), in the Valley of the Kings.
They were the parents-in-law of King Amenhotep III. Their connection to the palace through their daughter, Queen Tiye, saw the king making sure that they received the most lavish private burial the Valley had ever seen.
'... we found a wall plastered with mud and sealed with the priestly seal. This alone separated us from the tomb itself; and the top was so broken that we could peer over into what for centuries no eye had seen; a confusion of dark forms, shimmering mysteriously here and there with a touch of gold or of silver.
'Squeezing their way between the wall and the rock ceiling, we were in the midst of such a medley of tomb furniture that, in the glare of our lighted candles, the first effect was one of bewilderment. Gradually, however, one object after another detached itself from the shimmering mass, shining through the cool air, dust-free and golden...'
When discovered, it was clear that the tomb wasn't completely intact. Just like Tutankhamun's, it had been hastily plundered, probably a number of times, and probably by the very tomb builders who had originally worked on the tomb.
The golden lids of Yuya and Tjuyu's coffins had been pushed aside and their mummy bandages rifled in a hurried search for jewelled amulets designed to protect the nobles in the afterlife.
Although a number of smaller, more portable items were stolen, we are grateful that the thieves didn't have the opportunity to thoroughly 'clean out' the tomb, as almost all of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings have been.
Pictured is the beautiful golden coffin lid of Lady Tjuyu, Tutankhamun's Great-Grandmother.
Around her neck is a beautiful floral collar with fasteners shaped like Horus' head. Her fists are crossed over her chest, emulating Osiris, god of the afterlife, so as to tap into his powerful regenerative magic.
Exactly what the thieves took from the tomb, we'll probably never know. But more me, the big mystery is why it took the Grey River Argus four years to publish the story of the tomb's discovery.
Photo: Andreas F. Voegelin.