Egypt unveiled on Monday a major find of 250 sealed coffins containing mummies, 150 bronze statues of ancient gods and goddesses, and other antiquities at the Saqqara necropolis, south of the capital Cairo.
An Egyptian archeological mission working in the Bubastian Cemetery area discovered a bronze statues cachette in the site that dates back to the Late Period of Ancient Egypt, said Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities.
The cache included 150 different-sized bronze statues of gods and goddesses.
“We continued excavating here and discovered underground tunnels, where we found colorful coffins containing human mummies that were well preserved, as well as a lot of bronze artifacts. This is the largest batch of artifacts ever found in Bubasteion,” said Waziri.
The mission has discovered 250 intact colored wooden coffins that date back to 500 B.C. inside several burial wells comprising well-preserved mummies as well as a group of golden-face wooden statues, painted wooden boxes, and amulets, he added.
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During the excavation inside one of the wells, the mission found a papyrus that writes verses from the Book of the Dead, said Waziri.
A collection of cosmetics was also found, including combs, eyeliners, containers, bracelets, earrings, and seed necklaces.
The discovery was made during the fourth excavation of the site that started in April 2018. The Egyptian mission will start the fifth excavation in September, Waziri added.
Saqqara is a core site of ancient Egyptian civilization, with the tombs of several pharaohs and many nobles, including the oldest step pyramid.
