Archaeologists in Egypt clearly were not worried about unleashing any ancient plagues or curses when they decided to open 59 coffins for the first time since they were buried 2,500 years ago.
Last month, the discovery of the coffins was announced, and was revealed that they were found in a burial shaft in the desert necropolis of Saqqara. It is believed to have previously served as the necropolis for Memphis, the former capital of ancient Egypt.
More than a dozen coffins were found stacked on top of one another in the burial shaft located 11 meters (36 feet) below the ground, and more coffins were uncovered in further excavation work.
“My colleagues in the Supreme Council of Antiquities discovered burial shafts filled with wooden, sealed, and intact coffins. I am really impressed that Covid-19 did not stop them from digging to unveil more mystery and secrets about our great civilization,” Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Anany said. “Today I can say most of the discoveries have been made by Egyptian teams on Egyptian soil. This is something I am immensely proud of.”
On October 3, authorities unveiled a total of 59 sarcophagi. Officials said they expect a lot more to be exhumed from the burial site. Studies suggested the coffins ‘haven’t been opened since they were buried’, so archaeologists were given the chance to be taken back to the 26th dynasty, more than 2,500 years ago, when they cracked them open.
ABC News reported that El-Anany revealed most of the coffins include mummies of priests and top officials, and restorers opened two coffins to show mummified remains wrapped in burial cloth that bore hieroglyphic inscriptions in bright colors.
“After removing the lid, we found that the two mummies bear the name and title of the family,” El-Anany added.
The excavation work also uncovered a carved bronze statue of the god Nefertum, inlaid with precious stones; a collection of 28 statues of Ptah-Soker, the main god of Saqqara Necropolis; collections of amulets and an ushabti figurine.
“Today is not the end of the discovery, I consider it the beginning of the big discovery,” El-Anany said.
The coffins are scheduled to be transferred to the Grand Egyptian Museum — a huge establishment near the Giza pyramids — to be put on display to the public when it opens next year.