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Greco-Roman mummy, tombs uncovered in Egypt oasis
CAIRO (Reuters) –
Egyptian archaeologists carrying out excavations at the site of a
planned youth center have found 14 tombs dating back to the third
century BC, including one with a female mummy adorned with jewelry.
The Greco-Roman tombs, in
Bahariya
Oasis, 300 km (190 miles) southwest of
Cairo, were discovered during probes that
indicated they may be part of a much larger necropolis, Egypt's Culture
Ministry said in a statement Monday.
A 97-cm (38-inch) tall female mummy, found in the stair-lined interior
of one of the rock-hewn tombs, was cast in colored plaster inlaid with
jewelry and eyes.
Archaeologists, who dug at the site ahead of the planned construction of
a youth center, found the tombs contained other treasures as well. The
area has now been turned over to Egypt's antiquities authority.
"Early investigations uncovered four anthropoid masks made of plaster, a
gold fragment decorated with engravings of the four sons of
Horus, and a collection
of coins, and clay and glass vessels," the ministry's statement quoted
Egypt's chief archaeologist
Zahi Hawass as saying.
The four sons of Horus -- Imsety, Duamutef, Hapi and
Qebehsenuef -- were
ancient Egyptian gods.
The engravings show the influence of
Egyptian religion well into the Greco-Roman
period.
The gods were believed to protect the stomach, liver, intestines and
lungs of mummified bodies.
Bahariya Oasis is home to
Egypt's
famed
Valley of the Golden
Mummies, where a collection of 17 tombs with about 254 mummies
was discovered in 1996.
(Writing and reporting by Dina Zayed, Editing by Jeffrey Heller)
Click image for more photos
Reuters – A handout photo released by Egypt's Supreme Council of
Antiquities shows a sarcophagus recently discovered …
