Egypt: Archaeologists discoverd 59 coffins and remains of 28 small statues.
ANews Office: Recently archaeologists have discoverd 59 coffins belonging to priest and clerks at the UNESCO world heritage site south of Cairo, Egypt. The coffins were discoverd in August and are from 26th dynasty, nearly 2,500 years ago.
Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said that 59 wooden coffins were discovered inside burial wells in Saqqara’s area.
The coffins are in good condition and contain the bodies of Egyptian priests, prestigious members of the community and other senior men. A video of the unsealing, hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, has now gone viral on social media, amassing millions of views.
Archaeologists in Egypt on Saturday Opened one of the ancient Mummy coffin in front of public for the first time since it was sealed 2,500 year ago. The videos revealed mummified remains wrapped in burial cloth that bore hieroglyphic inscriptions in bright colours.
The coffins were found stacked together within or near three burial wells, the ministry said, Beside the coffins, they also found the remains of 28 small statues.
One of the most interesting statues is a nearly 14-inch-tall bronze statue of the god Nefertem, who is shown wearing a headdress shaped like a lotus blossom. The headdress is made of red agate stone, turquoise and lapis lazuli, the ministry statement said.
In ancient Egyptian mythology, Nefertem was a god associated with lotus flowers and was the son of Ptah, a creator god who was popular in Memphis, the first capital of Egypt.
Another small statue found near the coffins depicts the god Ptah-Soker — an amalgamation of the gods Ptah and Soker. “Saqqara was called Saqqara because of the god Soker
The mission will continue opening the coffins and studying their contents before their eventual display at the Grand Egyptian Museum, expected to open next year.
The coffins will be transferred to the new Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza for display.