An Egyptian archaeological mission carrying out excavations near the Aga Khan Mausoleum on Aswan’s west bank have uncovered a sandstone sarcophagus containing a mummy in a tomb that dates back to the Late Period (664BC – 323BC).
Mustafa Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said that the mummy, wrapped in linen, was very well conserved, but that more studies were needed to identify the deceased.
Mr Waziri said that two Late Period tombs were also found, their walls decorated with colourful scenes depicting the deities Isis, Hathor, and Anubis.
A fragmented collection of coloured stone sarcophagi was also unearthed, along with the remains of a wooden coffin inscribed with hieroglyphic text.
Abdel-Moneim Saeed, the director of Aswan and Nubian Antiquities, explained that a large number of mummies, which were haphazardly buried in the tomb, were also unearthed, suggesting that the tomb was used as a communal burial site.
Saeed added that excavations inside the tomb revealed an unidentified sandstone head of a statue, as well as a collection of amulets and scarabs carved in faience and a wooden statuette of the deity Horus.
Watani International
19 September 2018