Egypt: Hundreds of ancient sarcophagi and statuettes uncovered

A cache of hundreds of ancient Egyptian coffins and bronze statuettes have gone on display in Egypt. The discoveries were made in the Saqqara archaeological site south of Cairo.

In Egypt, hundreds of ancient artifacts were unveiled on Monday at the Saqqara archaeological site, situated south of Cairo. Among the items on display were 250 ancient Egyptian coffins and 150 bronze statuettes that date back 2,500 years.

Saqqara necropolis reveals its secrets

The discoveries were made in Saqqara, the site of an ancient burial ground, or necropolis, which serviced the ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in an Instagram post that the discovery was "the first and largest cache of 150 bronze statues, dating back to the Late Period."

Statues of gods and goddesses including Anubis, Amun, Min, Osiris, Isis, Nefertum, Bastet and Hathor were discovered. Painted wooden coffins, resting in burial shafts were also found alongside items used in burial rituals.

Inside one of the coffins, archaeologists found a well-preserved papyrus written in hieroglyphs, which has been sent to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo for further analysis.

Saqqara has kept archaeologists busy in recent years with a series of discoveries since excavation work on the site began in 2018.

Coffins from the latest finds will be taken to the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is under construction near the Great Pyramids of Giza and is scheduled to open later this year.