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The
discovery at a cemetery in Saqqara contained statues of the gods
Anubis, Amun, Min, Osiris, Isis, Nefertum, Bastet and Hathor
along with a headless statue of the architect Imhotep, who built
the Saqqara pyramid, Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
said on Monday.
The 250 coffins, 150 bronze statues and other objects dated to
the Late Period, about 500 BC, the ministry said.
They were accompanied by a musical instrument known as a sistrum
and a collection of bronze vessels used in rituals for the
worship of the goddess Isis.
The painted wooden coffins were found intact in burial shafts
and contained mummies, amulets and wooden boxes. Wooden statues
of Nephthys and Isis from an earlier period were also found,
both with gilded faces.
One coffin contained a well-preserved papyrus written in
hieroglyphs, perhaps verses of the Book of the Dead, and was
sent to the laboratory of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo for
study, said Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme
Council of Antiquities.
A collection of cosmetics was found, including kohl containers,
as well as bracelets and earrings.
The coffins will be transferred for display at the Grand
Egyptian Museum under construction near the Great Pyramids of
Giza and due to open later this year.
Saqqara, to the south of the Giza pyramids, has provided a
steady stream of archaeological discoveries in recent years. The
mission has been excavating in the area since 2018.
(Reporting by Sameh el-Khatib; Writing by Patrick Werr; Editing
by Janet Lawrence)
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