Egypt unearths tombs and workshops where humans and sacred animals were mummified in the age of the pharaohs

Canopic jars, which were made to contain organs that were removed from the body in the process of mummification, are seen at the site of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, 24 kilometers (15 miles) southwest of Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, May 27, 2023.

Amr Nabil)/AP Photo

• Archaeologists found ancient mummification workshops and tombs in the Saqqara necropolis.
• The workshops were used to embalm humans and sacred animals to prepare them for the afterlife.
• The tombs of two priests dating back to the 24th and 14th centuries BC were also found.

Archaeologists in Egypt have found ancient mummification workshops and tombs in the ancient Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo, the government said.

The head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mostafa Waziri, said that the workshops, where humans and sacred animals were mummified, date back to the 30th Pharaonic dynasty about 2,400 years ago, Al Jazeera reported.

Researchers found stony beds where bodies were laid down for mummification, as well as clay pots used to hold organs and other ritual vessels, Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said.

The purpose of mummification was to keep the body intact so it could be transported to a spiritual afterlife.

Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, displays a recently unearthed ancient wooden sarcophagus in Saqqara, Egypt on Saturday, May 27, 2023.

Amr Nabil/AP Photo

The excavations also uncovered the tombs of two priests dating back to the 24th and 14th centuries BC.

The walls of the first tomb, which belonged to Ne Hesut Ba from the Old Kingdom's fifth dynasty, were adorned with depictions of hunting and other daily activities, according to Reuters.

The second tomb, belonging to Men Kheber from the late kingdom's 18th dynasty, was decorated with scenes showing the deceased in different positions, officials said, per Reuters.

A colored painting showing offering sacrifices at a recently uncovered tomb that was said to belong to a top official of the fifth Dynasty named Ne Hesut Ba on Saturday, May 27, 2023.

Amr Nabil/AP Photo

Saqqara Necropolis, south of Egypt's capital, Cairo, is a vast ancient burial ground located at the ancient Egyptian capital Memphis and contains numerous pyramids and tombs.

The discovery was made following a year-long excavation near the sanctuary of the goddess Bastet, Reuters said.

The new discoveries were unveiled by Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in a high-profile press conference on Saturday.

In recent years archaeological discoveries like this have been heavily promoted by Egypt's government in order to attract tourism following the 2011 uprising and an ongoing economic crisis, AP and Reuters noted.

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