59 astonishingly preserved Egyptian Mummies have been uncovered south of Cairo by archaeologists in the last few weeks. Discovered within their sealed and elaborately decorated wooden coffins, evidence suggests they were buried at Saqqara over 2,500 years ago.
Discovery made in legendary area of Egypt
Famous for the 4,700 year old stepped pyramid of Djoser, which was built during the Third Dynasty, Saqqara is the oldest stone building complex known to have been built in history. It served as the burial ground to the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Unveiling one of their finds, the archaeological team uncovered an ancient mummy still wrapped within its burial cloth adorned with brightly coloured ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.
More ancient finds expected
This follows the discovery of 13 coffins just a few weeks ago, and the team on site are anticipating yet more exciting finds. The current haul were found in shafts up to 40 feet underground, and are believed to date back to the Late Period of Ancient Egypt – around the 6th or 7th century BCE.
The tourism and antiquities minister, Khaled al-Anani, explained that while further investigation will be needed, it is thought that the sarcophagi were the final resting place for important figures of the time, such as priests and senior statesmen of the 26th dynasty.
The area also surrendered a significant number of statues. Amongst them was an impressive bronze figurine of Nefertem, who represented the blue lotus flower present at the creation of the earth. The ancient Egyptians often carried small statuettes of him as good-luck charms.
The finds will be permanently added to the collection of the new Grand Egyptian Museum on the Giza plateau, which is due for its grand opening in 2021.
Learn More
If you’d like to learn more about the Egyptians and their ancient writing system, why not book a place on our next online Hieroglyphs course?
(by Learn for Pleasure on 9th October 2020)