Graveyard with colorful sarcophagi and 3,500-year-old mummies uncovered in Egypt

Brendan Rascius
·1 min read

An ancient cemetery was uncovered in Egypt, revealing colorful sarcophagi, well-preserved mummies and hundreds of other artifacts, according to government officials.

The graveyard, found in Minya — a riverside city about 160 miles south of Cairo — dates back to the New Kingdom, which spanned 1550 to 1070 B.C.

It was used to entomb elite members of Egyptian society, including high-ranking officials and priests, according to an Oct. 15 news release from the country’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

Wooden sarcophagus with mummy inside
Wooden sarcophagus with mummy inside
Painted sarcophagus
Painted sarcophagus

Multiple ornately decorated stone and wooden coffins were found, some of which had been deposited in tombs carved out of rock formations, officials said.

One coffin, which was covered in hieroglyphics and depictions of Egyptian deities, belonged to the daughter of a priest. Canopic vessels, which held human organs, were found alongside her sarcophagus.

Also uncovered were numerous funerary figurines known as Ushabti statues. The statuettes were left in tombs “in order to act as (workers) in the afterworld in place of the deceased,” according to the University of Southern California research.

Thousands of amulets, objects believed to have certain magical powers, were also discovered at the cemetery, officials said.

Canopic jars recovered from the cemetery
Canopic jars recovered from the cemetery
Artifacts recovered from the cemetery
Artifacts recovered from the cemetery
One of the artifacts recovered from the cemetery
One of the artifacts recovered from the cemetery

Additionally, archaeologists uncovered a scroll — measuring up to 50 feet long — believed to reference the Egyptian Book of the Dead. The book was used as a guide to the afterlife, and it included spells that could be used on the journey, according to the British Museum.

Archaeologists with the Egyptian Archaeological Mission discovered the cemetery during an excavation of the region that began in August, officials said.

Google Translate was used to translate a news release from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

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