Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has announced the unearthing of five limestone sarcophagi and four wooden coffins containing human mummies. These incredible archaeological finds were inside a burial shaft stretching nine meters below ground.
This shaft is located in Sacred Animal Necropolis in Saqqara, an ancient burial ground that’s about 20 miles south of Cairo and is also home to landmarks including the Step Pyramid, considered to be the world’s oldest,CNN reported .
Details of the discovery were shared via a video posted on the ministry’s Facebook page earlier this month.
Also excavated from the shaft were an incredible array of small artifacts, including 365 faience ushabti figurines, some inscribed with hieroglyphics. Ushabti are objects, usually small statues, that were buried in Egyptian graves to aid the body in its afterlife.
Inside the burial shaft, there was also a small wooden obelisk about 40 centimeters tall, painted with scenes featuring the Egyptian goddesses Isis, associated with rebirth, and Nephthys, associated with death, and the god Horus, one of the most renowned ancient Egyptian deities.
These small artifacts were removed from the shaft for restoration purposes. The sarcophagi and wooden coffins are being restored inside the shaft, says the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
Archaeological work began in this area in April 2018 and remains ongoing.