Late last year, archaeologists exploring the necropolis in Saqqara, Egypt uncovered a host of mummies. In doing so, the archaeologists helped solve a mystery that had puzzled their colleagues for years. But that discovery wasn’t the last major find to be unearthed at Saqqara, situated 20 miles south of Cairo — and with a new year have come even more artifacts, further helping historians understand life in ancient Egypt, and giving a boost to local tourism efforts.
A new report at The Guardian heralds the Egyptian government’s announcement of another major find there. In this case, archaeologists working on the site found 50 wooden sarcophagi from the New Kingdom, a time of military victories and imperial expansion for Egypt, which occurred from the 16th to the 11th century BC.
The sarcophagi were discovered in 52 burial shafts, at around 40 feet deep. Uncovered at the same time were a number of brick warehouses, as well as Queen Naert’s funerary temple.
Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, who heads the team exploring the site, hopes that their findings will enable a better understanding of the New Kingdom period. With Egypt working to use archaeology as a way to fuel tourism, this latest group of discoveries offers plenty of reasons to celebrate.
More Like This
Subscribe here for our free daily newsletter.
Thanks for reading InsideHook. Sign up for our daily newsletter and be in the know.
