Scientists have discovered hidden 'City of the Dead' containing more than 300 tombs

Let’s be honest, a ‘City of the Dead’ sounds like the name of an Indiana Jones movie.

And actually, the real story would be fitting for a plot line of one of the legendary films. That’s because scientists have discovered a new hidden ‘City of the Dead’ containing more than 300 tombs.

Yep, the team has nicknamed this massive burial site in Egypt that after uncovering so many tombs and mummies.

They’ve been working there for five years now, making findings at the city of Aswan which was established over 4,500 years ago. However, while it is known to have been a vital trade, quarry and military zone, not much has ever been discovered about the lives of the actual people there.

Recently, archaeologists uncovered 36 tombs that were reused for 900 years. Therefore, each of them held 30 to 40 mummies each, with plenty of them containing families who probably died from infectious diseases.

Multiple mummies are found in the tombs. (University of Milan)

DailyMail.com spoke to University of Milan archaeologist Patrizia Piacentini who explained that this absolute mega burial site spans nearly 270,000 feet.

The place houses up to 10 terraces of ancient tombs all arranged in layers on the hill near the modern Mausoleum of Aga Khan III.

“This was a really spectacular find, very unique in Egypt," said the Egyptologist.

“[The people who once lived in Aswan] covered the hill with tombs. It is kind of a City of the Dead.”

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Aswan is found in the south of Egypt, on the east bank of the Nile river. One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities (since 650 BC), it was once home to quarries that supplied granite for many of the ancient Egyptian landmarks that are still standing today.

“Aswan was a crossing point since forever,” Piacentini explained.

“People were coming from the east to the west. People came here because it was the border, products from the south arrived in Aswan and then dispersed everywhere else.”

Researchers have been looking into the tombs and the people who are buried there. (University of Milan)

In 2019, researchers uncovered the first tomb with four mummies inside.

Picentini said: “At the beginning, we thought they were mother and child, but new CT scans showed they are two children. “But we recently found a woman near them who was likely their mother and the remains of a man, likely the father.”

The five years of their excavation also uncovered that people were buried dependant on class, with elites laid to rest on top of the hill.

The latest dig brought more secrets to light about the people who lived in the city all those years ago, with the 36 tombs dating between 6^th century BC and 9^th century AD.

Some are carved into mountain rock while others have an open courtyard and a casket entrance.

While the team are studying the tombs and remains, Piacentini assures they will be respectful.

“This is their resting place,' she explained. “We uncover their story and then we put them back and close the tomb. For me, it was important from the beginning."