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Gold Tongued Mummy Discovered In 2,000-Year-Old Burial Site

Gold Tongued Mummy Discovered In 2,000-Year-Old Burial Site

It's believed this was done in order to let the person speak in the afterlife

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

Archaeologists have discovered a mummy that had a tongue made out of solid gold.

The finding was made at a 2,000-year-old burial site in Taposiris Magna - a city established by Pharaoh Ptolemy II Philadelphus between 280 and 270 BCE.

The team of archaeologists think the person's tongue was replaced with a jewel because ancient rulers believed it would allow the dead to speak with Osiris, otherwise known as the God of the dead, once they'd passed away.

This excavation is being led by the University of Santo Domingo which has had people working on the site for nearly a decade.

Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities

The mummy was found alongside 15 other burials which are thought to date back to the same period.

Two of the mummies were found with the remains of scrolls, which scholars are currently analysing. The cartonnage (encasing) of one of these two mummies also contained golden decorations dedicated to Osiris.

Back in September, archeologists uncovered 27 Egyptian tombs were found which is believed to be the biggest of its kind.

At the time, 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."

Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities

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. The find was discovered after a team dug 36ft down in to the ground.

A week before the tombs were found, archaeologists came across coffins that remained sealed. 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 archaeological discovery."

Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

They're the largest find in Saqqara since 2019 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 used to be 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.

They've also found not only high nobility inside the coffins in the past, but also people from the middle or working class.

Featured Image Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities

Topics: News, Weird