Researchers have used digital technology to take the first accurate look inside the mummy of King Amenhotep I, which has remained unwrapped in modern times, according to a study published on Tuesday.

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The scans revealed details about the appearance and mummification the 18th Dynasty king, who ruled Egypt from about 1,525-1,504 BCE and was the son of New Kingdom founder Ahmose I.

Amenhotep's mummy, adorned with decorations on its linen wrapping and its funerary mask, was found along with those of other kings and queens in a cache in Luxor in 1881 and transferred to Cairo.

Because of efforts to preserve the decoration, it was one of few royal mummies not to be physically unwrapped and examined in the modern era, according to the study in Frontiers in Medicine, a peer-reviewed medical journal.

In 2019, Egyptologist Zahi Hawass and Cairo University professor Sahar Saleem used a computed tomography (CT) machine to "digitally unwrap" the mummy before it was moved to a new collection at Cairo's National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.

The results of their study, published on Tuesday, showed that Amenhotep's face resembled that of his father, and estimated his age at death to be 35 years, though no cause of death was clear, according to a statement from Egypt's antiquities ministry. It appeared to show that he was the first king to be embalmed with his forearms crossed on his body, and proved that his brain was not removed, unlike those of most New Kingdom kings.

The scans also revealed 30 amulets or pieces of jewelry buried with the mummy, including a belt of 34 gold beads, showing that 21st Dynasty priests who rewrapped the mummy took care to preserve its ornaments, the ministry statement said.

During the reburial, the Theban priests re-attached Amenhotep's head and repaired other postmortem injuries likely inflicted by tomb robbers, according to the study.

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American and Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed what could be the oldest known beer factory at one of the most prominent archaeological sites of ancient Egypt, a top antiquities official said Saturday.

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Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the factory was found in Abydos, an ancient burial ground located in the desert west of the Nile River, over 450 kilometers (280 miles) south of Cairo.

He said the factory apparently dates back to the reign of King Narmer, who is widely known for his unification of ancient Egypt at the beginning of the First Dynastic Period (3150 BCE-2613 BCE).

Archaeologists found eight huge units – each is 20 meters (about 65 feet) long and 2.5 meters (about 8 feet) wide. Each unit includes some 40 pottery basins in two rows, which had been used to heat up a mixture of grains and water to produce beer, Waziri said.

The joint mission is co-chaired by Dr. Matthew Adams of the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, and Deborah Vischak, assistant professor of ancient Egyptian art history and archaeology at Princeton University.

Adams said the factory was apparently built in this area to provide royal rituals with beer, given that archaeologists found evidences showing the use of beer in sacrificial rites of ancient Egyptians.

British archaeologists were the first to mention the existence of that factory early 1900s, but they couldn't determine its location, the antiquities ministry said.

With its vast cemeteries and temples from the earliest times of ancient Egypt, Abydos was known for monuments honoring Osiris, ancient Egypt's god of underworld and the deity responsible for judging souls in the afterlife.

The necropolis had been used in every period of early Egyptian history, from the prehistoric age to Roman times.

Egypt has announced dozens of ancient discoveries in the past couple of years, in the hope of attracting more tourists.

The tourism industry has been reeling from the political turmoil following the 2011 popular uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. The sector was also dealt a further blow last year by the coronavirus pandemic.

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The Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said in a statement that archaeologists found the collection of colorful, sealed sarcophagi buried more than 2,500 years ago at the Saqqara necropolis.

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Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said more than 80 coffins were found.

Archaeologists also found colorful, gilded wooden statues, the ministry said. Details of the new discovery would be announced at a news conference at the famed Step Pyramid of Djoser, it said.

Egypt has sought to publicize its archaeological finds in an effort to revive its key tourism sector, which was badly hit by the turmoil that followed the 2011 uprising. The sector was also dealt a further blow this year by the coronavirus pandemic.

Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly and Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khalid el-Anany toured the area and inspected the new discovery, which came just over two weeks after the ministry revealed 59 sealed sarcophagi, with mummies inside most of them, in the same area of Saqqara.

The Saqqara site is part of the necropolis at Egypt's ancient capital of Memphis that includes the famed Giza Pyramids, as well as smaller pyramids at Abu Sir, Dahshur and Abu Ruwaysh. The ruins of Memphis were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1970s.

The plateau hosts at least 11 pyramids, including the Step Pyramid, along with hundreds of tombs of ancient officials and other sites that range from the 1st Dynasty (2920-2770 BCE) to the Coptic period (395-642 CE).

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Journalist Sameera Khan tweeted that Gadot should be "ashamed."

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Still another outraged user of social media wrote, "The level of disrespect if unbelievable. You [Gadot] are ISRAELI. Portraying and ARAB figure. This is not going to end well."

Cleopatra − the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt − was not, in fact, Arab, as Egypt was not an Arab country in the 1st century BCE, when she ruled. Egypt was not conquered by the Arabs until the 7^th century CE.

Yet another Twitter user said he "couldn't wait to boycott this bullsh***."

One woman tweeted that Gadot's color was less of interest than the "problem" of "letting Israeli be involved in telling stories about Middle Eastern history."

A user named Johanna M. did not mince words and called Gadot a "genocidal Zionist" and a "basic bit*h."

On Monday, Gadot tweeted after announcing the project that she hoped that women and girls all over the world "who aspire to tell stories will never give up on their dreams and will make their voices heard, by and for other women."

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Khalid el-Anany said at least 59 sealed sarcophagi, with mummies inside most of them, were found that had been buried in three wells more than 2,600 years ago.

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"I consider this is the beginning of a big discovery," el-Anany said, adding that there is an unknown number of coffins that have yet to be unearthed in the same area.

He spoke at a news conference at the famed Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara where the coffins were found. The sarcophagi have been displayed and one of them was opened before reporters to show the mummy inside. Several foreign diplomats attended the announcement ceremony.

The Saqqara plateau hosts at least 11 pyramids, including the Step Pyramid, along with hundreds of tombs of ancient officials and other sites that range from the 1st Dynasty (2920 BCE-2770 BCE) to the Coptic period (395-642).

Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said initial studies show that the decorated coffins were made for priests, top officials and elites from the Pharaonic Late Period (664-525 BCE).

He said archaeologists also found a total of 28 statuettes of Ptah-Soker the main god of the Saqqara necropolis, and a beautifully carved 35 cm tall bronze statuette of god Nefertum, inlaid with precious stones. The name of its owner, Priest Badi-Amun, is written on its base, he said.

Egyptian antiquities officials had announced the discovery of the first batch coffins last month, when archaeologists found 13 of the containers in a newly discovered 11-meter (36 feet) deep well.

The Saqqara site is part of the necropolis of Egypt's ancient capital of Memphis that includes the famed Giza Pyramids, as well as smaller pyramids at Abu Sir, Dahshur and Abu Ruwaysh. The ruins of Memphis were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1970s.

El-Anany said the Saqqara coffins would join 30 ancient wooden coffins that were discovered in October in the southern city of Luxor, and will be showcased at the new Grand Egyptian Museum, which Egypt is building near the Giza Pyramids.

The Saqqara discovery is the latest in a series of archeological finds that Egypt has sought to publicize in an effort to revive its key tourism sector, which was badly hit by the turmoil that followed the 2011 uprising. The sector was also dealt a further blow this year by the global coronavirus pandemic.

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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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At some point, the Egyptians abandoned the citadel, paving the way for the destruction of numerous Canaanite cities, likely at the hands of the Philistines.

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According to IAA archaeologists Saar Ganor and Itamar Weissbein the citadel unearthed measures 18 meters (59 feet) by 18 meters and had towers at its four corners that served as lookout posts.

"The citadel we discovered offers a glimpse into the geopolitical reality described in the Book of Judges, where the Canaanites, Israelites and Philistines are battling each other," Ganor and Weissbein were quoted as saying in the statement.

"At the time, the Land of Canaan was ruled by the Egyptians, and its residents were under their protection," the archaeologists said. "But then, during the 12th century BCE, two central players appeared in the area: the Israelites and the Philistines. And thus began a series of bloody territorial struggles."

This article was originally published by i24NEWS.

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