Egyptian excavation reveals hundreds of mummies, statues of gods

On Monday, Egyptian antiquities authorities revealed hundreds of artifacts recently discovered at the necropolis of Saqarra. The artifacts date back about 2,500 years, to a time known as the Late Period to Egyptologists.

Excavations at the burial ground, about 15 miles from Cairo, revealed 250 sarcophagi, or painted wooden coffins, with well-preserved mummies inside. The sarcophagi were found intact in burial shafts and contained amulets and wooden boxes as well.

Other artifacts revealed on Monday included: a headless statue of the architect Imhotep, who built the Saqqara pyramid; 150 bronze statues of ancient Egyptian gods including Anubis, Amun, Osiris, and Nefertum; a musical instrument called a sistrum; and a number of bronze vessels used in fertility rituals to Isis, the goddess of fertility.

Mostafa Waziri, head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, said inside one sarcophagus was a papyrus written in hieroglyphs that could be verses from the Book of the Dead. The document was sent to the laboratory of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo for further analysis.

Many of the artifacts will be moved to the new Grand Egyptian Museum, which is still undergoing construction and scheduled to open later this year.

The Saqqara site is part of a massive necropolis in Egypt’s ancient capitol of Memphis, which includes the Great Pyramids of Giza. The ruins were designated a UNESCO world heritage site in the 1970’s. Saqarra has provided a steady stream of archeological discoveries recently. The mission has been excavating the area since 2018.

News of the discovery was embraced by Egypt’s travel and tourism industry. Tourism is a major source of foreign currency in Egypt. The number of tourists traveling to the country dropped dramatically, however, after years of political turmoil and violence following the 2011 uprising which ousted Hosni Mubarek.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is also dealing another blow to Egypt’s tourism industry. Egypt was long considered a vacation destination for Russians and Ukrainians alike.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.