Archaeologists discover 40 MUMMIES

[Winged Isis]

Archaeologists discover 40 MUMMIES inside body-shaped stone coffins in Egypt including one with the inscription 'happy new year' in hieroglyphics as they excavate tomb for priests

(My apologies for any repetitions. I have edited this in a hurry).

An ancient cemetery with more than 1,000 statues and 40 coffins has been found in Egypt's Nile Valley
The burial site was discovered in the city of Minya, north of Tuna al-Gabal an archaeological site in the desert
Antiquities Minister said it was 'only the beginning' and that archaeologists will need five years on the site
Archaeologists found tombs belonging to priests of Thoth, the ancient Egyptian god of the moon and wisdom
Earlier this month archaeologists discovered a 4,400-year-old tomb near the country's famed pyramids

By Tim Stickings and Bridie Pearson-jones For Mailonline
PUBLISHED: 23:33 AEDT, 24 February 2018 | UPDATED: 06:23 AEDT, 25 February 2018

An ancient cemetery with 40 mummies inside body-shaped stone coffins and a necklace charm bearing the hieroglyphic inscription 'happy new year' has been found in the Nile Valley, Egypt's Antiquities Ministry has announced.

Archaeologists, who started excavation work on the site last year, found tombs belonging to priests of Thoth, the ancient god of the moon and wisdom, as well as family members with their names in hieroglyphics.

The burial site, which is more than 2,000 years old, was discovered in the city of Minya, south of Cairo, and contains canopic jars and other funerary items.

It is north of the Tuna al-Gabal area, an archaeological site on the edge of Egypt's western desert, the ministry said on Saturday, and is the latest discovery in an area known to be home to ancient Egyptian catacombs.

The priest's mummy was also found decorated with blue and red beads and bronze gilded sheets.

Archaeologists also uncovered 40 sarcophagi believed to belong to the priest's family members, some bearing the names of their owners in hieroglyphics.

Another tomb includes several coffins, statues depicting ancient priests and other funeral artefacts.

Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani said: 'We will need at least five years to work on the necropolis.

'This is only the beginning of a new discovery'.

Among the collection four well preserved alabaster canopic jars inscribed with hieroglyphics and designed to hold the mummified internal organs of their owner, the high priest.

Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the scarab charm with the new year greeting had been unearthed last New Year's Eve in a 'wonderful coincidence'.

He said eight tombs have been uncovered so far and he expects more will be discovered soon.

The necropolis is thought to host members of different families and is believed to date back to the so called 'Late Period' of ancient Egypt and the Ptolemaic era, the time between the death of Alexander the Great (323 BC) and Cleopatra (30 BC).

Excavation work in the area started in late 2017, with archaeologists on a quest to find the remainder of the cemetery of Upper Egypt's 15th nome during ancient times.

The site includes several burial shafts and as well as more than 1,000 statues and some 40 sarcophagi as well as other artefacts

The burial site, which is more than 2,000 years old, was discovered in the city of Minya, south of Cairo, and contained canopic jars and other funerary items

The necropolis is thought to host members of different families and is believed to date back to the so called 'Late Period' of ancient Egypt and the Ptolemaic era

Ancient artefacts are seen in the Egyptian tomb, where excavation work started in late 2017, with archaeologists on a quest to find the remainder of the cemetery of Upper Egypt's 15th nome during ancient times

The necropolis is thought to host members of different families and is believed to date back to the so called 'Late Period' of ancient Egypt and the Ptolemaic era

Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said eight tombs have been discovered so far and expects more to be discovered soon

The site is thought to date back to the 'Late Period' of ancient Egypt and the Ptolemaic era, the time between the death of Alexander the Great (323 BC) and Cleopatra (30 BC)

Last May, Egyptian archaeologists unearthed a necropolis containing at least 17 mummies also near the village of Tuna el-Gabal, with mummified remains of women and children among the discoveries.

The area hosts a large necropolis for thousands of mummified ibis and baboon birds as well as other animals. It also includes tombs and a funerary building.

Earlier this month, archaeologists in Egypt discovered a 4,400-year-old tomb near the country's famed pyramids at the Giza plateau just outside Cairo.

The tomb was found in a wider area of Giza's western necropolis, which is known to be home to tombs from the Old Kingdom, according to the country's Antiquities Ministry.

It likely belonged to a woman known as Hetpet, who archaeologists believe was close to ancient Egyptian royals of the 5th Dynasty more than four millennia ago.

Archaeologists also uncovered 40 sarcophagi believed to belong to the priest's family members, some bearing the names of their owners in hieroglyphics

A skull is seen among the excavations in the ancient cemetery, the latest discovery in an area known to be home to ancient Egyptian catacombs

Some of the ancient artefacts discovered at the Egyptian cemetery, where excavation work started in late 2017

Excavation work in the area started in late 2017, with archaeologists on a quest to find the remainder of the cemetery of Upper Egypt's 15th nome during ancient times

Miniature statues are seen in the cemetery which is believed to be more than 2,000 years old

A sarcophagus is seen along with another ancient artefact in the tomb, where archaeologists have been working for months

Minister of Antiquities Khaled El Anany stands near a stone sarcophagi, discovered in an ancient burial site in Minya,

The tomb is made of mud brick and includes wall paintings in good condition depicting Hetpet observing different hunting and fishing scenes.

Hetpet's tomb is close to a new museum under construction that will house some of Egypt's most unique and precious artifacts, including many belonging to the famed boy King Tutankhamun.

The tomb of King Tut, who ruled Egypt more than 3,000 years ago, was discovered in 1922 in the Valley of the Kings, located on the west bank of the Nile river in Luxor.

Egypt's relics are a draw for foreign visitors and authorities hope new finds can help attract more as a way to help revive tourism hit by the unrest that followed the overthrow of former President Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

The number of tourists visiting the country rose 54 per cent to 8.3million last year, still well below the 14.7million who came in 2010.



This article has many excellent photos: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z58FIHNJDm
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