17 mostly intact mummies discovered in Egyptian necropolis

Egyptian archaeologists have discovered catacombs in the country’s Minya province, which they say contain at least 17 mostly intact mummies.

“We found catacombs containing a number of mummies,” Cairo University Professor Salah al-Kholi, who headed the mission in the Minya province, 250 kilometers south of Cairo, said, as cited by AFP.

The ancient burial site in the Touna el-Gabal district of the province was found using radar at a depth of eight meters by the Cairo University students last year.

The catacombs contain limestone and clay sarcophagi, animal coffins, as well as papyri inscribed with Demotic script, the archeologists say.

Seventeen mummified remains, all in good condition, have so far been discovered, but the site may host up to 32 mummies, including those of women, children, and babies, Mohamed Hamza, Cairo University head of excavations, said.

The find was especially “important, unprecedented, because it’s the first human necropolis” to be discovered in Minya, he said.

The mummies, which are said to belong to non-royal ancient Egyptians, are yet to be dated, Hamza said.

He added that the remains are currently believed to originate from Egypt’s Greco-Roman period – a 600-year span – after the country’s conquest by Alexander the Great in 332 BC........PHOTOS.......https://on.rt.com/8bkz
 [rt.com]
13/5/17