Dozens of human mummies found in Egyptian tombs
Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered dozens of mummies in ancient desert burial chambers. The mummies are different sizes and genders and at least 10 are children.
Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered dozens of mummies in ancient desert burial chambers.
Some 40 human mummies were uncovered in the province of Minya, south of Cairo, according to officials.
Egypt’s Minister of Antiquities Dr. Khaled El-Enany said that the newly-discovered tombs likely belonged to a middle-class family. The mummies are different sizes and genders and at least 10 are children.
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The child mummies are wrapped in linen, the Ministry of Antiquities added.
Mummies lie in a recently discovered burial chamber in the desert province of Minya, south of Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Roger Anis)
Dr. Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that fragments of pots and pieces of papyrus date the graves to the Ptolemaic, early Roman or Byzantine periods.
A number of the mummies were decorated with "demotic handwriting" — a form of ancient Egyptian script used by ordinary people. Colorful mummy cases were also unearthed.
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In a Facebook post, officials note that some of the mummies were buried inside stone or wooden sarcophagi, while others were found in niches within the tombs.
Officials described the mummies as being in good condition. (AP Photo/Roger Anis)
Egypt continues to reveal fresh details of its rich history. Experts, for example, recently explained the strange brown spots on some of the paintings in King Tutankhamun’s tomb.
Last month, archaeologists also announced the discovery of ancient tombs in the Nile Delta north of Cairo. In a separate project, two ancient tombs dating back to the Roman period were uncovered in Egypt’s Western Desert.
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In November, archaeologists confirmed the discovery of eight limestone sarcophagi containing mummies at a site 25 miles south of Cairo. Last year, researchers also uncovered a "massive" building that was once part of Egypt’s ancient capital city.
An artifact is on display at a recently discovered burial chamber in the desert province of Minya, south of Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019.
In another project, archaeologists discovered a stunning sphinx statue at an ancient temple in southern Egypt.
Last summer, experts unlocked the secrets of a mysterious ancient ‘cursed’ black granite sarcophagus. The massive coffin, which was excavated in the city of Alexandria, was found to contain three skeletons and gold sheets with the remains.
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Archaeologists also found the oldest solid cheese in the tomb of Ptahmes, mayor of the ancient city of Memphis.
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A mummy buried in southern Egypt more than 5,000 years ago has also revealed its grisly secrets, shedding new light on prehistoric embalming practices.
Fox News’ Chris Ciaccia and The Associated Press contributed to this article. Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers