11 December 2023 The Future is the Product of the Past

Archaeologists have unearthed a trove of artifacts at the necropolis of Saqqara

Archaeologists at the necropolis of Saqqara, near Cairo, have discovered a cache of 250 complete mummies in painted wooden sarcophagi and the largest caches of bronze statues -150 in total- ever found at the site.

The discovered statues of the gods Anubis, Amun, Min, Osiris, Isis, Nefertum, Bastet, and Hathor along with a headless statue of the architect Imhotep, who built the Saqqara pyramid, Egypt’s ministry of tourism and antiquities said recently.

They were accompanied by a musical instrument known as a sistrum and a collection of bronze vessels used in rituals for the worship of the goddess Isis.

The ministry said that 250 sarcophagi and 150 bronze statues were dated to the Late Period, around 500 BC. Excavations have been ongoing since 2018, where previously the team discovered 100 wooden coffins back in 2020.

Photo: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

The antiquities were the fifth and latest major find from an archaeological mission at Saqqara’s Cemetery of Sacred Animals that began in 2018 and are expected to continue for years to come. So far only a quarter has been excavated.

The trove was found at Saqqara’s “Cemetery of Ancient Animals,” a temple complex outside Cairo once dubbed “Bubasteion” — a reference to the ancient Egyptian goddess Bast or Bastet, who was worshiped there in the form of a cat, CBS News reported. The complex was renamed in 2019, however, after archaeologists discovered other types of mummified animals and statues of different Egyptian gods there.

“Today’s discovery confirms that the temple wasn’t exclusively for cats, but for other Egyptian deities too,” Mohamed Al Saidi, the mission’s director, told CBS News.

Photo: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

The mission also found two colored wooden statues of the goddesses Isis and Nephthys posed as mourners, and a burial well from around 1500 BC with adornments such as necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and even a bronze mirror.

Excavations identified a series of burial wells, in which colored wooden sarcophagi were recovered. The sarcophagi appear to have remained undisturbed by tomb robbers and still contain burials and various ornaments.

One sarcophagus contained a well-preserved papyrus written in hieroglyphs, perhaps verses of the Book of the Dead, and was sent to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo laboratory for study, said Mostafa Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

Photo: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

A collection of cosmetics was found, including kohl containers, as well as bracelets and earrings.

The sarcophagi will be transferred for display at the Grand Egyptian Museum under construction near the Great Pyramids of Giza and are due to open later this year.

Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

Cover Photo: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

Related Articles

The Iremir Mound illuminates the pre-Urartian period in East Van

27 July 2021

27 July 2021

Archaeological findings unearthed in the excavations carried out at the İremir Mound in the Gürpınar district of Van, in eastern...

Archaeologists have discovered another exceptional find in Mérida

12 August 2023

12 August 2023

In Mérida, Spain, archaeologists recently discovered an “enormous” Roman bath. But it is that inside these baths, in the area...

The Ancestors of Today’s Barbie Dolls “Coptic dolls”

23 September 2023

23 September 2023

For as long as there has been civilization, children have played with dolls. Wooden dolls with bead hair have been...

Sacred Hill of Moon God Sin “Sogmatar”

23 June 2022

23 June 2022

Sogmatar, Şanlıurfa is 53 kilometers from Harran. It is located in Yağmurlu village, where there are important springs in the...

Bronze Age Treasure Found in Swedish Forests

30 April 2021

30 April 2021

A man who studied the forest to make a map for the orienteering club in western Sweden made an incredible...

Artifacts for sale offered at a Dutch auction house returned to Peru

9 July 2021

9 July 2021

The Dutch government announced in a press release today that the artifacts that were put up for sale at an...

The Basilica cistern, which is said to have the sarcophagus of Medusa or the Mysterious Snake Woman, was restored

21 July 2022

21 July 2022

The Basilica Cistern, one of the magnificent ancient structures of Istanbul, was restored. Besides being the greatest work of the...

Mothers in the prehistoric were far more skilled at parenting their children than we give them credit for

24 November 2021

24 November 2021

The death rate of newborns in ancient cultures is not a reflection of inadequate healthcare, sickness, or other issues, according...

1800-year-old statue head found in Ancient Smyrna Theater in western Turkey

30 July 2022

30 July 2022

A statue head dated to the 2nd century AD was unearthed during the excavations at the Ancient Smyrna Theater, located...

Israeli Archaeologists discover two shipwrecks filled with treasure

22 December 2021

22 December 2021

Israeli archaeologists have been discovered ancient artifacts and treasures amid the wrecks of two ships on the seafloor off the...

Who Are The Sea Peoples?

13 February 2021

13 February 2021

Who are the Sea Peoples, which are seen as the beginning of the dark age, and where did they come...

The 3200-year-old Mycenaean figure that brought Ephesus together with the Hittite civilization: Found in the excavations of Ayasuluk Tepe

11 June 2022

11 June 2022

A 3,200-year-old Mycenaean figurine that could change the perspective on the history of civilization in Western Anatolia during the Bronze...

The human remains dating back 10,000 years unearthed in Vietnam

15 November 2023

15 November 2023

In Ha Nam Province, northern Vietnam, skeletal remains dating back 10,000 years have been discovered. This is marking the oldest...

A New Late Ancient Necropolis Discovered on Hvar Island

10 June 2021

10 June 2021

The protective investigation in the garden of the Radoevi Palace in the town of Hvar on the Croatian island of...

Neanderthals caused ecosystems to change 125,000 years ago

16 December 2021

16 December 2021

Researchers say Neanderthals changed the ecosystem by turning forests into grasslands 125,000 years ago. Around 125,000 years ago, these close...