Egypt’s Saqqara plateau, home to hundreds of tombs and nearly a dozen ancient pyramids, has recently entered the spotlight of an archaeological consortium after its well revealed some miraculous findings.
Archaeologists have uncovered 59 mummies in sealed sarcophagi and nearly 30 statues of ancient gods in the Egyptian necropolis of Saqquara in the last weeks. The find helped confirm “the hidden wealth” of the site and “its significance as one of Egypt’s most important and longest-lasting burial places for over 3,000 years”, according to the world’s leading Egyptologist, Salima Ikram.
The mummified bodies are believed to be those of high-ranking officials, including priests, based on the decorations on their coffins, that could have been buried more than 2,600 years ago. Along with sarcophagi, researchers have also uncovered 28 statuettes of necropolis’ main god Ptah-Sokar, the dual deity responsible for both craftsmen and the dead.
A sarcophagus that is around 2500 years old is shown at the Saqqara archaeological site, 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2020
They also have come across a bronze figure of Nefertum, a god that was worshipped through the Old Kingdom until the Late Period of ancient Egypt. His statuettes was also decorated with precious stones, Egypt’s authorities revealed following the discovery in October.
The statuette of Nefertem apparently belonged to Priest Badi-Amun, according to an inscription on its base, who could have been one among those mummies uncovered by archaeologists.
For 5,000 years of Egyptian history, the Saqqara site served as a necropolis for Memphis, the country’s first capital. Located just around 30 kilometers south of Cairo, it still hosts at least 11 pyramids and hundreds of tombs of kings and other officials from the first and second dynasties. It is also a home to the legendary Step Pyramid erected for the third dynasty’s king Djoser.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
