The Egyptian government has uncovered a treasure trove of more than thirteen intact wooden human coffins dating back 2,500 years in a burial well in the saqqarah desert necropolis.
Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the effects on Facebook on September 6, adding that the maximum coffins gave the impression that they had not been disturbed for millennia.
According to the ministry, the sarcophagus were discovered in a burial well about nine meters underground, stacked on top of each other, so well preserved that some of the colors painted on the wood are still visible. First the coffins were analyzed and the decision was made to seal them at the time of burial.
Three sealed niches have also been discovered inside the cemetery, and archaeologists expect to see more coffins, Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled Al-Anani told Science Alert.
Excavation paintings on it are still ongoing.
“An indescribable feeling when you witness a new archaeological discovery,” Al-Anani wrote on Twitter, thanking his colleagues. “Be aware of the announcement of a new discovery in Saqqara,” he added, “posting a promotional video that reports long-term revelations. of the site.
The ministry is expected to release a series of promotional films with new main points about the burial site.
The vast burial complex of Saqqarah, which would have been the former capital of Memphis, is located 30 km south of Cairo. Experts say Saqqarah had been an active burial place for Egyptians for 3,000 years, where others in the upper and lower social categories were buried.
The tombs of the cusp of the aristocracy and officials, less difficult to find, given the elaborate way in which they were buried, have already been discovered to maintain burial elements such as their cartridges and even the remains of mummified animals. recent excavations gave the impression of being easier burials of middle-class and working-class people.
Many richly buried tombs have been looted in recent decades and with the new discovery of absolutely intact and unopened coffins, archaeologists hope to locate intact funerary items inside, which experts say can potentially identify the remains and their social status.
An archaeological recovery technician works in an ancient Egyptian mummy in a laboratory at the Great Egyptian Museum in Giza, Egypt, on March 17, 2014. Picture: Reuters