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Archaeologists Discover 27 New Tombs In Egyptian Burial Site

Archaeologists Discover 27 New Tombs In Egyptian Burial Site

It's said to be the biggest find ever

Amelia Ward

Amelia Ward

Archaeologists have found 27 Egyptian tombs that are said to have been buried more than 2,500 years ago.

At first, it was thought that there were 13 sarcophogi at the site in Saqqara, which is just south Cairo, but, a further 14 were discovered afterwards.

Experts say the find is the biggest of its kind, adding that the sarcophogi have been left untouched for all this time.

Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities

Egypt's Antiquity Ministry said in a statement: "Initial studies indicate that these coffins are completely closed and haven't been opened since they were buried."

Photos of the site show the well-preserved coffins which have been painted colourfully. They are made of wood and there are other smaller artefacts around them.

Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities

The site at Saqqara is a designated Unesco World Heritage Site and was active as a burial ground for 3,000 years.

The new find was discovered after a team dug 36ft down in to the ground. They are continuing to investigate the full history of the site with the discoveries acting as a way to promote tourism, since the industry has been hit heavily by Covid-19.

The Ministry of Antiquities has said that there will be further announcements expected over the next few days.

Just last week it was announced that the first 13 had been found. With the coffins remaining sealed, they could offer an impressive insight into the past.

Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities

Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said the coffins were found stacked on top of each other and were discovered 11 metres underground.

Khaled Al-Anani, the minister of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, wrote on Twitter: "[It's] an indescribable feeling when you witness a new archeological discovery."

This represents the largest find in Saqqara since last year, when 30 coffins were discovered in a cache at Al-Assasif cemetery inside the necropolis.

According to Science Alert, experts believe Saqqara served as the large cemetery for Memphis, which was the capital of ancient Egypt.

For 3,000 years, Egyptians would put their dead inside the massive burial site, as well as their prized possessions and their mummified animals.

Archaeologists have not only the ancient society's high nobility inside the coffins in the past but also people from the middle or working class. Who knows what treasures await researchers for this new batch of 13 coffins that have been sealed for so long.

Featured Image Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities

Topics: egypt, Interesting, History