Two 2,400-year-old mummification workshops discovered

Egypt The embalming workshop for humans had rooms equipped with stone beds for the deceased to lie on and undergo the embalming process.

Clay jars and ritual vessels are placed around stone beds used for mummification in the Saqqara necropolis, south of Cairo. Photo: AFP — Clay jars and ritual vessels are placed around stone beds used for mummification in the Saqqara necropolis, south of Cairo. Photo: *AFP*

Egyptian archaeologists have unearthed two human and animal mummification workshops and two tombs in the Saqqara necropolis south of Cairo, AFP reported on May 27. The vast necropolis is located in Memphis, the ancient Egyptian capital, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is home to pyramids, animal tombs and ancient monasteries.

Two mummification workshops, which processed human and animal bodies, existed from the 30th Dynasty of ancient Egypt (about 2,400 years ago), according to Mostafa Waziri, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities.

The team found several rooms with stone beds where the deceased lay for embalming, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said. The end of each bed was attached to a gutter to facilitate the embalming process. Nearby were also clay jars for storing intestines and internal organs, ritual vessels and other tools. Preliminary research suggests the remaining workshop was used to embalm sacred animals.

In addition to the two mummification workshops, the team also discovered the tombs of two priests from the 24th and 14th centuries BC. The first tomb belonged to Ne Hesut Ba, a chief scribe and priest of Horus and Maat during the 24th Dynasty of ancient Egypt. The tomb walls were decorated with depictions of daily life, agriculture and hunting, according to Mohamed Youssef, director of the Saqqara archaeological site.

The second tomb, belonging to the priest Men Kheber, was carved out of rock. It contained carvings of the deceased on the walls and a meter-long plaster statue, Youssef said.

Egypt has announced a number of important archaeological discoveries in recent years, which are a key part of the country's efforts to revive tourism amid an economic crisis.

Thu Thao (According to AFP )

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