Archaeologists have discovered 83 graves from ancient Egypt, but the human remains were kept in a strange coffin in an incredibly rare kind of burial.
Often, Ancient Egyptian corpses are found interred in sarcophagi. Sarcophagi is a stone coffin, typically adorned with a sculpture or inscription and associated with the ancient civilisations of Egypt.
However, these coffins were instead shaped out of clay. The graves date to the civilisation of Bhutto, or Lower Egypt and are a rare finding in Dakahlia.
Archaeologists recently discovered 83 ancient graves from the first half of the fourth millennium B.C. The graves were located in the Dakahlia Governorate of northern Egypt, not too far from the Mediterranean Sea. However, on further examination, the came across some incredibly rare findings.
In other parts of Egypt during that time, elite people were usually buried in mud-brick tombs or wood coffins.
Meanwhile poorer people were often buried in shallow holes, according to University College London.
The team also found three graves from the Naqada III period, which lasted from about 3200 to 3000 B.C. It’s unusual to find clay coffins in Dakahlia from Naqada III.
The excavated Naqada III graves contained a trove of artifacts to be carefully studied.
So far, excavators have discovered handmade pottery, oyster shells, a bowl in the shape of a tilapia and two bowls — one rectangular and one circular — of kohl, a cosmetic that Egyptians painted around their eyes, as well as a kohl plate.
Some of the artifacts are much younger than the tombs would suggest. A handful date to the Hyksos period, or around 1630 to 1523 B.C.
These artifacts included ovens and stoves, the remains of mud-brick building foundations and four mud-brick burials.
These burials held the remains of a child and three adults according to Fathi Al-Talhawi, head of the excavation and director general of the Dakahlia Antiquities.
This comes after Egypt experts uncovered a funeral mask “More beautiful that Tutankhamun’s” in the sand outside the location of a new tomb.
The discovery was made in Qubbet el-Hawa, a site on the western bank of the Nile, opposite Aswan, by archaeologist Martina Bardonova.
Bardonova was leading a Spanish research team investigating the reign of Hatshepsut when they discovered an unopened tomb in the cliffs. Hatshepsut was the first ever female ruler of Egypt.
Experts delicately excavated the outside of the tomb before they broke in, making an incredible development.
Dr Bardonov was absolutely thrilled with the find, even claiming it was beautiful that Tutankhamun’s.
She said: “Oh, my God, you can see the beautiful cartonnage. “So skilful, look at how they made the eyes.
“Tutankhamun’s head is gold and this mummy’s is cartonnage, but this one is more beautiful that Tutankhamun’s one.
“We know that it is a Middle Kingdom date, the cartonnage was really well done, it was some high quality work.”
Source: livescience.com
