The Ministry of Antiquities of Egypt reports that Egyptian archaeologists discovered a tomb with 40 mummies. According to the estimates of scientists, the finds date back to the era of Ptolemy (323-30 BC).Β
The embalmed remains were found in four burial chambers nine meters deep. Among the mummies 12 of them are children. Excavations were carried out at the Tuna el GΓΆbel site in Minya , 260 kilometers south of Cairo.Β
Β βThey are all fairly well preserved, some are wrapped in linen and decorated with demotic handwriting (in ancient Egyptian writing),β the ministry said in a statement. Some mummies are found in clay coffins and wooden sarcophagi. Fragments of colored patches were found on the turtles, which were used as burial masks.Β
Β βThis is the first archaeological discovery, announced in 2019 after the excavations, which began in November last year. The excavations are carried out thanks to the joint work of the Ministry of Antiquities and the Research Center for Archaeological Research at Minya University, βsaid Khaled al-Anani at a press conference. It was attended by the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mustafa Vaziri, Egyptian Tourism Minister Rania al-Mashat, Governor Mini Kassem Hussein, professors at Minya University, as well as diplomats from more than 10 foreign countries.Β Β
Mostafa Vaziri stated that the mummy’s identity is unknown. βWe did not find names that could be written with hieroglyphs,β he said, adding that the mummies most likely belong to wealthy Egyptians. Β
Waziri also said that fragments of ceramics and pieces of ancient paper found at the excavation site helped the researchers determine the date of burial. According to Ahmed Ata, a professor of archeology at Minya University and a member of a joint mission, these tombs are about 2000 years old. Β
The tombs of Minya, discovered during the excavations, are part of a family grave, which probably belonged to an urban well-to-do family, the ministry added. Β
Archaeological excavations also found the tomb of Petosiris, the tomb of Isadora, an animal sacrifice site, a Roman cemetery, and two reliefs of King Akhenaten. Β
This is not the first discovery made in Minya. In 2017, as reported by The Inquisitr, a necropolis with 17 mummies was discovered in the same area. Tuna El Gebel is also known for finding mummified animals.
By author Milena Moskvich