Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered 17 mummies in desert
catacombs in Minya province, the antiquities ministry announced
Saturday.
The mummies, yet to be dated, were the largest to be found in the
area south of Cairo and may be a boost for tourism in the country.
Archaeologists found the non-royal mummies in a series of corridors
after following the trail of burial shafts in the Touna-Gabal district
of the central Egyptian province, the ministry said in a statement.
Along with the mummies, they found a golden sheet and two papyri in
Demotic — an ancient Egyptian script — as well as a number of sarcophogi
made of limestone and clay.
There were also animal and bird coffins, the ministry said.
The ministry said they belonged to the Late Period, which spanned
almost 300 years up to Alexander the Great’s conquest of Egypt in 332
BC.
But a spokeswoman told AFP they could also date from the Ptolemaic Dynasty, founded by Alexander the Great’s general Ptolemy.
The discovery of the non-royal mummies is considered unprecedented
because it is the first such find in the area, officials said at the
site.
Egyptologist Salah al-Kholi told a news conference held near the
desert site that the discovery was “the first human necropolis found in
central Egypt with so many mummies”.
It could herald even more discoveries in the area, he said.
The discovery was “important, unprecedented,” Mohamed Hamza, director of excavations for Cairo University said.
The site is close to an ancient animal cemetery.
“The discovery is still at its beginning,” Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Enany told reporters.
It was the second discovery of mummies announced with much fanfare by the government in less than a month.
In April, the ministry invited reporters to the southern city of
Luxor to unveil eight mummies discovered in a 3,500-year-old tomb
belonging to a nobleman.
For the cash-strapped Egyptian government, the discoveries are a boon
from the country’s glorious past as it struggles to attract tourists
scared off by a series of Islamist militant attacks.
“Antiquities are the soft power that distinguishes Egypt,” Enany
said. “News of antiquities are the things that attract the world to
Egypt.”
Millions of tourists visited Egypt every year to see its Giza
Pyramids — the only surviving monument of the Seven Wonders of the
Ancient World — and its ancient pharaonic temples and relics.
But a popular uprising in 2011 that overthrew veteran strongman Hosni
Mubarak ushered in years of unrest that battered the economy and drove
away tourists.
*AFP
Popular News
-
A US mayor of a small town in Illinois who sent Police officers on Sunday to break up parties amid coronavirus lockdown was left shocked ...
-
Happy New Month Nigeria! Welcome to the month of June. As the world searches for a respite from all its troubles since 2020 began, one can ...
-
Ayodeji Richard Makun, the Nigerian comedian and actor, who is popularly known as AY, has apologized to late singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, po...
-
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has submitted documents before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) foll...
-
I guess a bit of Chaos is coming to the US following Donald Trump's election to the highest seat in the country. The state of Califor...
-
The Osun State Governor, Chief Ademola Adeleke, has escaped a horrific fate, according to a report by Leadership. By a stroke of luck, wh...
-
The United Kingdom (UK) has announced new travel requirements. This is as it said Visa is not enough for people wishing to enter the c...
-
After a meeting with President Bola Tinubu, the Assembly of Healthcare Professionals (AHPA) and Health workers under the aegis of the Joi...
-
Nigerians have lashed out at President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu after his long convoy of cars was spotted in Lagos on Tuesday. The co...
-
Italy have been crowned champions of the 2020 European Championship after defeating England 3-2 in penalties on Sunday night, July 11. ...
-
“Every improvement contributing to your outstanding experience is our daily motivation.” - Remitano Every product and feature on the Rem...
-
For the quarter, added 537,000 residential and small enterprise business internet customers versus 380,000 within the prior year quarter....
-
SMS marketing is a marketing channel which allows businesses to message customers with marketing messages through SMS, or more commonly kn...
-
Breaking news about iceland country incredible but true if you are interested read the full story iceland team was able to achieve an ...
-
Happy New Month Nigeria! Welcome to the month of June. As the world searches for a respite from all its troubles since 2020 began, one can ...
-
An Israeli professor has claimed that coronavirus will disappear after 70 days with or without intervention. The unproven claims were ma...
-
The Remitano founding team has always maintained the belief and vision that blockchain and cryptocurrencies are a big step forward for s...
-
Would you believe it if someone tells you that cayenne pepper has the power to stop a heart attack within a minute? Believe it or not, thi...
-
Apparently, ginger, a well-known spice we frequently add to different dishes to enhance the flavor, has the power to prevent cancer. But, i...
- bitcoin
- bitcoin mining
- Coronavirus
- dr anu nigeria
- coronavirus china
- Benefit Of Ginger Water
- Bobrisky
- Buhari
- coronavirus cure
- benefits of drinking milk
- Biafran War
- coronavirus death rate
- coronavirus outbreak
- dede one day mansion
- coronavirus update
- History of Biafra
- How To Make Ginger Water
- eri
- How to save your phone battery
- is 5g dangerous
- Kobe Bryant
- Jennifer Aniston
- kobe bryant family
- latest nigeria news paper
- kobe bryant wife
- latest on nigeria news
- naija news
- Malignant mesothelioma
- nigeria news
- Mesothelioma survival rates
- newspaper online in nigeria
- nigeria news breaking
- nigeria news headline today
- nigeria news of the day
- nigeria news paper online
- nigeria newspaper
- nigeria news paper today
- nigeria news today & breaking
- nigeria newspaper online
- nigerianewspaper
- nigeria newspapers
- Regina Daniels
- online dating scams
- Side Effects Of Eating Corn
- t mobile data usage
- online nigeria news
- what is tiger nut
- tiger nuts
- Tyson Fury
0 comments:
Post a Comment