They opened a live Egyptian sarcophagus 2,500 years old: what they discovered inside – 04/09/2019

A sarcophagus containing a high Egyptian priest was open in a live TV program during a two-hour special of the American channel Discovery. The "Unknown Shipping: Egypt Live" (Unknown Shipping: Egypt Live) broadcast was broadcast from the suburbs of Minya, on the banks of the Nile and south of Cairo.

Archaeologists have recently discovered on the site a network of galleries leading to several funerary chambers containing 40 Egyptian noble mummies.

After exploring other tombs – where they found statues, amulets, jars used to store organs and other mummies – the experts were finally able to access the chamber containing this sarcophagus, very carefully carved.

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It took several people to open it and the efforts were not in vain: inside, there was an immaculate mummy wrapped in linen and surrounded by treasures, which included gold

"I can not believe it, it's incredible," said Zahi Hawbad, a famous Egyptian archaeologist and former Minister of Antiquities, who led the expedition with American explorer Josh Gates, who directed the transmission.

A spokesman for Discovery had previously confirmed that the project was designed in coordination with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities.

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Gates said that mom was a high priest of Thoth, ancient Egyptian god of wisdom and magic, which corresponds to the 26th dynasty of ancient Egypt, the last indigenous dynasty to rule until 525 BC. C.

"Towards the end of ancient Egypt, power really came down to the high priests and can be seen here … almost it feels like a real funeral"he said.

Cairo has attempted to promote archaeological discoveries in the country for the purpose of revive tourism, hit by political instability after the 2011 revolution against Hosni Mubarak. The tourism sector has improved, with the arrival of some 8.3 million visitors in 2017, according to official figures. However, the numbers are still far from the 14.7 million arrivals of 2010.

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Discovery declined to comment on whether he was paying Egypt for permission to film the opening of the sarcophagus. "It's a show at the end of the day, but it can generate in people the love of antiques and it's a good opportunity to promote tourism," said an archaeologist at AFP, who requested anonymity.

Discovery's transmission also matches the current one global interest in Egyptian archeology, generated by an exhibition on pharaoh Tutankhamun, who made his debut in Paris last month and will tour the world.

Source: AFP