Unearth “thousand-year-old” Egyptian mummies

Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities Egypt announced on May 30, “treasure” was discovered in a cemetery in Saqqara, including statues of the gods Anubis, Amun, Min, Osiris, Isis, Nefertum, Bastet and Hathor along with a headless statue of an ant Imhotep architect – builder of the Saqqara pyramid.

Officials say 250 coffins, 150 bronze statues and other objects have been unearthed from the Late Period of ancient Egypt, about 500 BC.

These statues and coffins come with a musical instrument called a sistrum and a collection of bronze vases used in rituals worshiping the goddess Isis.

Painted wooden coffins were discovered intact in burial vaults and contained mummies, amulets and wooden boxes. Wooden statues of Nephthys and Isis from earlier periods were also discovered. Statues of both gods have golden masks.

Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said that one coffin contained a well-preserved papyrus, probably verses from the “Book of Life and Death of Egypt”. This papyrus was sent to the Egyptian Museum’s laboratory in Cairo for study.

An ancient cosmetic collection has also been discovered by Egyptian archaeologists, including a box of eye makeup along with a necklace and earrings.

The coffins from this archaeological excavation will be moved to display at the Great Egyptian Museum, which is being built near the Great Pyramid of Giza and is expected to open later this year, Reuters reported.

Saqqara, south of the pyramids of Giza, is where a series of archaeological discoveries have been made in recent years. Archaeological teams have been excavating in this area since 2018.