A recent archaeological discovery reveals for the first time that ancient Egyptian kings used donkeys as a main transport source, not palanquins borne by servants, Egypt's chief archaeologist said yesterday in Cairo.

　　Subsidiary tombs unearthed this month in the mud-brick mortuary enclosure of an unknown, 5,000-year-old king contained the remains of 10 donkeys.

　　"Our previous information was that a king never rode a donkey because he was carried on a palanquin by his servants. But the recent discovery proves that they were fully dependent on donkeys," antiquities chief Zahi Hawass said.

　　It is believed that the Egyptian kings filled their tombs with items used daily while alive to fulfill their needs in the afterlife.

　　A joint American archaeological team uncovered the unknown king's mortuary enclosure and another belonging to King Aha, the first king to unify Egypt.

　　Hawass said archaeologists had been excavating for 20 years in the area near Abydos, about 390 kilometers south of Cairo, because it was known to be the burial site of many kings from the 1st Dynasty (3100-2190 BC).

　　A statement released by the Supreme Council of Antiquities said the last important find linked to King Aha was the discovery of his tomb in 1900.

　　Culture Minister Farouk Hosni said in the statement that Aha's enclosure contained a very well preserved chapel surrounded by six subsidiary graves of the servants intended to serve Aha in his second life.

　　"The tombs were plundered in ancient times, however, much material remained," Hosni said.

　　The statement quoted David O'Conner, the expedition coordinator, from New York University's Institute of Fine Arts, as saying king Aha's tomb and enclosure were much larger than the monuments of his preceding kings.

　　(The Associated Press)