Archaeological treasure: a hundred intact sarcophagi …

Egypt presented a hundred sarcophagi over 2,000 years old in perfect condition, discovered in the Saqqara necropolis, south of Cairo, where last month about sixty intact sarcophagi over 2,500 years old had already been discovered. The sealed wooden coffins belonged to senior officials of the early years (between 700 and 300 BC) and the Ptolemaic period (323 to 30 BC).

“Saqqara has not yet revealed all he has. It is a treasure,” said Khaled el Enani, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities. The site of Saqqara, just over ten miles south of the Pyramids of the Giza Plateau, is home to the necropolis of Memphis, the capital of ancient Egypt. It is declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco.

The 100 sarcophagi presented this Saturday were discovered in three funeral pits 12 meters deep. Archaeologists opened one of the coffins inside which lay a mummy wrapped in a shroud adorned with colorful hieroglyphics.

More than 40 statues of ancient deities and funeral masks were also found, according to the minister.

These finds will be distributed in various Egyptian museums, including a new establishment which will open its doors on the outskirts of Cairo.

According to Enani, these recent findings are the result of increasing excavation work in recent years.