archaeologist working at a Pyramids of Egypt complex in the south of Cairo have give away dozens of cat mummy , along with troves of wooden statues and a rare compendium of mummified scarab beetle .
The secretary superior general of Egypt ’s Supreme Council of Antiquities , Mostafa Waziri , shared details of the noteworthy determination at a press conference hold up this past Saturday , the Irish Timesreports . Waziri said a team of Egyptian archaeologists made the discovery at the Userkaf Pyramid complex in Saqqara , just south of Cairo , which they ’ve been investigating since April .
In all , seven Pharaonic Age tombs were discovered — three dating back to the New Kingdom ( 1550 BC to 1077 BC ) and four dating back to the Old Kingdom ( 2686 BC to 2181 BC ) of Ancient Egypt . Saqqara was once the Necropolis ( or cemetery ) of Memphis , the capital city of Egypt for more than 2,000 years . ancientness minister Khaled el - Enany told reporters that three of the grave were used for cats , as the Guardianreports .
Among the many findings , the Ministry announced the discovery of dozens of mummified cats and several scarab beetles , the latter of which are now the first to be found at Saqqara , the ministry official said . Ancient Egyptians often mummified the remains of these animals , placing them in Graf as funeral offer . Painted sarcophagi for cobra and crocodile were also uncovered .
The African tea ma were wrapped in linen , with some still exhibiting hand - painted lineament on their exteriors .
Two large Scarabaeus sacer mallet were bump inside a midget limestone sarcophagus placed within a orotund sarcophagus , while another tidy sum was find inside a smaller sarcophagus . The diminished coffin moderate the beetles sport a lid decorated with draftsmanship of the Scarabaeus sacer paint in black , pronounce Waziri .
The graves also hold back amulet , canopic jars , writing puppet , papyri baskets , ropes , and over 100 small wooden fauna statues . A bronze statue dedicate to the feline goddess Bastet was also uncovered . Other wooden statues include representations of a Leo , moo-cow , and falcon .
Ministry officials enjoin an apparent sealed grave dating back to the Fifth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom ( 2500 BC to 2350 BC ) was also discovered . Remarkably , its false door looks like integral — suggesting its cognitive content are undisturbed . This grave will be explore by expert in the coming weeks , the Guardian account . So , there ’s more to fare from this over-the-top necropolis !
[ Guardian , Irish Times , The History Blog ]
Ancient EgyptEgyptologymummiesScience
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