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Human and animal remains were found in the cemeteries, which
were discovered in the Gabal al-Silsila or Chain of Mountains
area 65 km (40.3 miles) north of Aswan and would have been used
during the reigns of pharaohs Thutmose III and Amenhotep II.
It is hoped the burial sites will help historians better
understand ancient Egyptian healthcare and give a boost to
Egypt's struggling tourism industry, which has been beset by
political upheaval and militant attacks since the unseating of
autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
Some of the cemeteries were for animals and contain one or two
chambers with either stone or clay coffins, or ones made of
cartonnage, Mahmoud Afify, the ministry's head of Ancient
Egyptian Antiquities, said in a statement. Totems and scorpions
were also found.
The expedition from Sweden's Lund University began in 2012. In
2015 it discovered the remains of an ancient temple also in
Gabal al-Silsila.
Initial examinations revealed several complete bodies as well as
evidence of malnutrition and broken bones that were the result
of heavy labor, the ministry quoted expedition head Maria
Nilsson as saying.
Further studies are expected to reveal the social rankings of
those buried there and what exactly what purpose the uncovered
cemeteries served.
(This version of the story corrects surname in paragraph 6 to
Nilsson, not Nelson)
(Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Richard Lough)
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