Archaeological missions working in the Sakkara necropolis near Cairo have discovered several ancient Egyptian tombs containing mummified animals, Egyptian Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Annani told reporters Saturday.
Mummified cats found in Saqqara, Egypt / Photo: Nadim Zuaoui / ria.ru
According to the minister, three tombs of the New Kingdom era (approximately 1570 - 1070 BC) and four belonging to the Old Kingdom (according to various sources, approximately 2780 - 2263 BC) were discovered in Sakkara. “The tombs of the New Kingdom era were used, in particular, for the burial of mummified cats,” - said al-Anani. He added that in the tombs, most likely, cats were buried, who lived and served at the temples. In total, several hundred mummified bodies of animals were found. Also, in a separate sarcophagus, hundreds of mummified scarabs were found, mummies of a cobra, crocodiles and a lion were found.
According to the Egyptian minister, all discovered artifacts can be seen from November 15 at a museum located in the Sakkara region. The exhibition of the latest finds will last one month.
Al-Annani also promised that two new important archaeological discoveries made recently in Egypt will be announced by the end of 2018.
In the archaeological complex of Saqqara in the vicinity of the Egyptian capital there is an ancient necropolis, the first burials of which date back to the 1st dynasty of the pharaohs (XXXI - XXIX centuries BC). One of the most famous monuments in Sakkara is the step pyramid of Djoser.
Mummified scarab beetles found in Saqqara, Egypt / RIA Novosti / Nadim Zuaoui.
Margarita Kislova, Nadim Zuaoui
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