19 JAN 2023

The Mummy Returns to Egypt

AYAAN PAUL CHOWDHURY

A NEW NECROPOLIS

Egyptologists have uncovered a fresh new tomb near the Egyptian capital city of Cairo.

Photo: Getty Images

THE MUMMY

A gold-leaf-covered mummy was found sealed inside a sarcophagus that had not been opened for 4,300 years.

Photo: Frontiers Press

WHERE?

The mummy was found at the bottom of a 15-metre shaft in the group of 5th-6th dynasty tombs near the Step Pyramid at Saqqara.

Photo: Getty Images

WHO?

The mummy is believed to be of a man named Hekashepes and was found in a limestone sarcophagus, sealed in mortar.

Photo: Frontiers Press

'DON'T CALL US MUMMY'

However, some museums in Britain are now using words other than "mummy" to describe the ancient Egyptian human remains.

Photo: Pixabay/JensiedeGheest

pop cultural influence

The term "mummified remains" is now being used to replace the monstrous connotations that pop culture has kept going.

Video: The Mummy (1999)

keeper of secrets

One of the tombs belonged to the Meri - the keeper of the secrets and assistant to the great leader of the palace.

Photo: Getty Images

more tombs

Another tomb unearthed at the ancient necropolis belonged to Khnumdjedef, decorated with scenes of daily life.

Photo: Getty Images

excavations

Several other items, including pottery and ornaments have also been found among the tombs.

Photo: Getty Images

unesco world heritage site

Saqqara was an active burial ground for more than 3,000 years and is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site.

Photo: Getty Images

an ancient capital

It sits at what was the ancient Egyptian capital Memphis, and is home to more than a dozen pyramids - including the Step Pyramids.

Photo: Getty Images

official statements

Egypt's former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass said that all the discoveries date from around the 25th to the 22nd centuries BC.

Photo: Getty Images