Egypt Continues to Find Ancient Tombs in Saqqara

Published November 15th, 2020 - 10:10 GMT
A picture shows statues and funerary masks on display during the unveiling of an ancient treasure trove of more than a 100 intact sarcophagi, at the Saqqara necropolis 30 kms south of the Egyptian capital Cairo, on November 14, 2020. Egypt announced the discovery of an ancient treasure trove of more than a 100 intact sarcophagi, the largest such find this year. The sealed wooden coffins, unveiled on site amid fanfare, belonged to top officials of the Late Period and the Ptolemaic period of ancient Egypt. Th
A picture shows statues and funerary masks on display during the unveiling of an ancient treasure trove of more than a 100 intact sarcophagi, at the Saqqara necropolis 30 kms south of the Egyptian capital Cairo, on November 14, 2020. Egypt announced the discovery of an ancient treasure trove of more than a 100 intact sarcophagi, the largest such find this year. The sealed wooden coffins, unveiled on site amid fanfare, belonged to top officials of the Late Period and the Ptolemaic period of ancient Egypt. They were found in three burial shafts at depths of 12 metres (40 feet) in the sweeping Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo. Ahmed HASAN / AFP
Highlights
These discoveries were all extracted from the three wells in the area, he said.

Egypt’s Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anany unveiled details of the latest archaeological discovery in the Saqqara area, announced Saturday in the presence of public figures and representatives from local and international media.

The archaeological discovery follows from the findings announced on October 3, extracted from the well that Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly descended about three weeks ago.

During a press conference, Anany said the number of coffins discovered in the well exceeded all expectations, with over 160 coffins uncovered thus far including the 59 from the first finding.

He added that excavation work has not even finished.

This new finding consists of over 100 sealed coffins dating back to the Late Period of ancient Egypt and the Ptolemaic period, Anany explained, in addition to over 40 statues of deities, funerary masks, gilded masks and two wooden statues.

These discoveries were all extracted from the three wells in the area, he said.

The artifacts and coffins will be distributed between the Grand Egyptian Museum, the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization and the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, he said, in addition to the New Capital Museum in its first official opening in the City of Culture and Arts.

In statements to Al-Ahram newspaper, Anany explained that the Saqqara findings are a milestone in revitalizing Egyptian tourism and will surely dazzle the entire world.

This article has been adapted from its original source.     

Subscribe

Sign up to our newsletter for exclusive updates and enhanced content