Egypt unveils ancient burial site, home to 50 mummies

By Sayed Sheasha and Mohamed Zaki

 

Mummies are seen inside a tomb during the presentation of a new discovery at Tuna el-Gebel archaeological site in Minya Governorate, Egypt, February 2, 2019. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

 

MINYA (Reuters) - Egyptian archaeologists uncovered a tomb containing 50 mummies dating back to the Ptolemaic era, in Minya, south of Cairo, the ministry of antiquities said on Saturday.

 

The mummies, 12 of which were of children, were discovered inside four, nine-meter deep burial chambers in the Tuna El-Gebel archaeological site.

 

The identities of the mummies were still unknown, said Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

 

“We have not found names written in hieroglyphics," he said, adding it was obvious from the mummification method that the individuals whose remains were found had to some extent held important or prestigious positions.

 

Visitors, including ambassadors from several countries, gathered at the discovery site where 40 of the mummies were exhibited during the announcement ceremony.

 

Some of the mummies were found wrapped in linen while others were placed in stone coffins or wooden sarcophagi.

 

The archaeological finding was the first of 2019 and was unearthed through a joint mission with the Research Centre for Archaeological Studies of Minya University.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-02-03

2 hours ago, car720 said:

38 adults.  12 children.

Trying to do the math.

Looks like 10 to 12 families, all in the same place.

Could it have been a family plot with all buried at different times or all of them buried at the same time.

Unless they practiced polygamy, wouldn,t that be 19 families ? Some with zero children, some with one child, some with two, or even possible one family with twelve children ?

Wow, almost 30 feet deep. That's a hellofa' find!