Egyptian authorities have discovered 13 sealed coffins in the desert necropolis of Saqqara that date back 2,500 years, and remain miraculously intact after all this time.
The coffins were placed one on top of another in a burial shaft that is 11 meters (36 feet) deep. The dry conditions at the site kept the objects in good condition, and some even bear traces of the original pigments used to embellish them, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities reported this week.
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The burial shaft features three other niches that were sealed up, which could indicate the presence of additional ancient coffins, Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled Al-Anani said.
شعور لا يقارن كلما تشهد كشف اثري جديد،
انتظروا الاعلان عن كشف اثري جديد بسقارة، شكرا لزملائي بالوزارة.
An indescribable feeling when you witness a new archeological discovery.
Stay tuned for the announcement of a new discovery in Saqqara
Thank you to my colleagues in the ministry pic.twitter.com/RpgK6TmREo— Khaled El-Enany (@KhaledElEnany6) September 6, 2020
Archaeologists believe that Saqqara served as the necropolis for the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis, and that it was used for some 3,000 years.
Government officials and members of the upper ranks of ancient Egyptian society were buried at Saqqara, along with mummified animals and grave goods, but so were people from the lower classes.
Researchers have yet to discover who was buried in the newly-discovered coffins.
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