A unique burial statue of an ancient Egyptian man, probably called Messi, was found in Sakara. The man stands upright, next to his tiny wife and his even younger daughter, who holds a goose.

At a height of one meter and three centimeters and carved by limestone, the most obvious form depicted is that of a noble standing upright with the left foot, symbolizing youth, vitality and power, the researchers wrote in a study published on May 13 Journal of Egyptian Archaeology.

The statue also depicts a woman, probably his wife, on a smaller scale, kneeling, holding his right foot, and behind his left foot there is a representation of a girl, probably his daughter, the researchers wrote. The girl tightens a goose with her left hand, who opens her beak in a visual depiction of her crude

Archaeologists found the statue in 2021 in Sakara, a huge necropolis where the ancient Egyptians buried their dead for thousands of years. It does not have inscriptions, but based on its morphology it appears to be dated to the fifth dynasty (about 2465–2323 BC), a time when the pyramids were made in Egypt. (The last royal pyramid was built by King AMOS IMI, who ruled from 1550 to 1525 BC, after him, the Egyptian rulers were buried in the valley of the kings, near ancient Thebes.)

“I found the statue hidden under the sand, and there was a false door near him with the inscription Messi,” he told Live Science By email Zachi Hauas, former Minister of Antiquities and a key author of the study. The false windows are often found in Egyptian tombs, and the Egyptians believed that the spirit of the dead could be entered and left the grave through them.

The statue may symbolize the connection with the family, suggesting that they will be reunited in the afterlife, as it was in life, Hauas said. “The scene with the daughter holds the goose reflects daily life, serving similar function to the scenes on the walls of the tombs“, He added.

As for Messi’s size compared to his wife and daughter, in ancient Egyptian art, size was often equivalent to power. For example, the kings and the owners of tombs were usually depicted larger than those around them.