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EGYPT-ARCHAEOLOGY
Egypt unearths eight ancient mummies
CAIRO, Egypt, Nov 28, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Egyptian archaeologists have
discovered eight mummies dating back over 2,300 years at a pyramid complex
south of Cairo, authorities said Wednesday.
“The Egyptian archaeological mission working at the south eastern area of
King Amenemhat II’s pyramid in Dahshur Necropolis has uncovered a number of
ancient burials with eight coffins,” the antiquities ministry said in a
statement.
The mummies, dating from the Late Period of ancient Egypt, are “covered
with a layer of painted cartonnage in the form of a human”, the statement
said.
“Three of them are in good condition.”
Cartonnage, a material often consisting of a mixture of linen or papyrus
and plaster, was frequently used to cover mummies.
The ministry said it planned to eventually put the mummies and the
limestone sarcophagi they were found in on display at museums set to be built
in the resort hubs of Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh.
The Dahshur complex, some 30 kilometres (19 miles) south of Cairo, was a
major royal burial site that boasts the well-known “bent pyramid” of King
Snefru.
In April 2017, the remains of an Egyptian pyramid built around 3,700 year
ago were discovered at the complex.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1948 hrs