On Monday, Egypt unveiled new archaeological discovery of 250 sarcophagi, 150 small bronze statues of gods and goddesses and other antiquities at the Saqqara necropolis.
In a statement, Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, displayed part of the cache, including 35 of the painted wooden coffins, in a televised event on Monday at the UNESCO Heritage site south of Cairo.
“I'm very proud that the discovery was made by Egyptians, and this will not be the last discovery here,” Mr. Waziri said.
An Egyptian archaeological mission has completed its fourth excavation of the site since April 2018 and will conduct a fifth in September after the hot summer months.
The discovery is one of several made at Saqqara, the necropolis of the ancient capital of Memphis, in recent years.
On March 19, 2022, the excavations of the Egyptian archaeological mission working in the area northwest of the pyramid of King Merenre in Saqqara, resulted in the discovery of five inscribed tombs from the Old Kingdom and the First Transition period, containing many burials and archaeological finds.
Waziri explained that the first discovered tomb belongs to a person who is believed to be a high-ranking statesman. It consists of a well that leads to a burial chamber whose walls are carved with scenes of many funerary rituals, including offering tables, the facade of the palace, and the seven oil pots. The well houses a huge sarcophagus of limestone, and carved pieces belonging to the owner of the tomb, which the mission is now working on assembling.
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