The first tomb discovered in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings in 80 years doesn’t have any mummies, but archeologists opened the last of eight sarcophagi yesterday to reveal something even more valuable: embalming materials and ancient woven flowers.

Hushed researchers craned their necks and reporters scuffled inside the stifling underground stone chamber as Egyptian antiquities chief Zahi Hawass slowly cracked open the coffin’s lid for what scientists believe is the first time in more than 3,000 years. But instead of a mummy was a tangle of fabric and rust-coloured dehydrated flowers woven together in laurels that looked likely to crumble if touched.

The flowers were likely the remains of garlands, often entwined with gold strips, that ancient Egyptian royals wore around their shoulders in life and death, said Nadia Lokma, chief curator of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

“I prayed to find a mummy but when I saw this, I said it’s better — it’s really beautiful,” she said. “It’s very rare — there’s nothing like it in any museum. We’ve seen things like it in drawings, but we’ve never seen this before in real life.”

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