Scientists discover ancient cemetery

TUNA AL-GABAL, Egypt — Egypt’s Antiquities Ministry announced Saturday the discovery of an ancient necropolis near the Nile Valley city of Minya, south of Cairo, the latest find in an area known to house ancient catacombs from the Pharaonic Late Period and the Ptolemaic dynasty.

The large cemetery is located north of Tuna al-Gabal area, a vast archaeological site on the edge of the western desert. It hosts a range of family tombs and graves.

“We will need at least five years to work on the necropolis,” said Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani. “This is only the beginning of a new discovery.”

Archaeologists started excavation work in the area late last year on a quest to find the remainder of the cemetery of Upper Egypt’s 15th nome, or territorial district, during ancient times. They found tombs belonging to priests of Thoth, the ancient god of the moon and wisdom.

One tomb includes more than 1,000 statues and four well preserved alabaster canopic jars inscribed with hieroglyphics and designed to hold the mummified internal organs of their owner who was a high priest of the god Thoth. The priest’s mummy was also found decorated with blue and red beads and bronze gilded sheets.

Archaeologists also uncovered 40 sarcophagi believed to belong to the priest’s family members, some bearing the names of their owners in hieroglyphics.

Mostafa Waziri, head of the archaeological mission, says eight tombs have been uncovered so far and he expects more will be discovered soon.