An Egyptian archaeological mission has discovered a large collection of 2,500-year-old sealed sarcophagi and figurines at the Saqqara Necropolis in Giza.
Opening one of the ornately decorated sarcophagi for the first time before ᴀssembled media, the team revealed mummified remains wrapped in burial cloth that bore hieroglyphic inscriptions in bright colours.
The dramatic find was unearthed south of Cairo in the sprawling burial ground of Saqqara, the necropolis of the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
On the site – around 10 miles south-east of the Pyramids of Giza – 59 anthropoid painted coffins have been discovered so far. Around 40 were displayed to the press.
The majority of coffins housed mummified remains which initial research suggests would have been priests, top officials and elites in ancient Egyptian society.
All of whom would have likely been subject to ancient Egypt’s complex burial rituals after they died, including having their brains removed with an iron hook.
A sarcophagus that is around 2500 years old is seen inside the newly discovered burial site near Egypt’s Saqqara necropolis, in Giza, Egypt, October 3
Pictured: A man opens one of the sarcophagi during the unveiling event in front of the media. 59 anthropoid painted coffins have been discovered so far
The majority of the coffins found so far have contained mummified remains (pictured) of priests, top officials and elites
Around 40 of the 59 coffins discovered at the site near Egypt’s Saqqara necropolis were put on display to the media, with the others being stored ahead of being displayed in a museum
The dramatic find was unearthed south of Cairo in the sprawling burial ground of Saqqarah, the necropolis of the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis, a UNESCO World Heritage site
The discovery was announced on Friday by Egypt’s Minister of Antiquities and Tourism, Dr. Khaled El-Enany.
‘Today I can say most of the discoveries have been made by Egyptian teams on Egyptian soil. This is something I am immensely proud of,’ El-Enany said.
He said the mission had started re-excavating the site two months ago, and uncovered a burial shaft 36 feet deep. Inside, they found 13 intact coffins.
The team continued their excavations, discovering two more shafts – 32 and 39 feet deep – also filled with coffins.
The mission to excavate the site started around two months ago, Egypt’s Minister of Antiquities and Tourism, Dr. Khaled El-Enany said
The team of archaeologists first found a burial tunnel around 36 feet deep. Inside, they discovered 13 intact coffins
From there, they discovered two more tunnels, also both filled with coffins. In total they have discovered 59 so far
All the coffins discovered so far are in good condition and bear their original colours that were painted on the outside
Since the find of the first 13 coffins was announced almost three weeks ago, more have been discovered in shafts at depths of up to 40 feet
The coffins, sealed more than 2,500 years ago, date back to the Late Period of ancient Egypt, from about the sixth or seventh century BC
