Two important discoveries. Egypt on Saturday unveiled two workshops dedicated to the mummification of humans and animals in Saqqara, in the necropolis of Memphis, the capital of the Old Kingdom of the pharaohs. Dated from around 2,400 to 2,000 years ago, they are “the largest and most complete” discovered to date.
The workshop dedicated to human mummification is “divided into several rooms equipped with layers of stone covered with plaster with gutters at their end of two meters by 50 centimeters on which the bodies were placed”, explained the head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mostafa Waziri.
Egyptian archaeologists have discovered mummification instruments, earthen vessels and ritual objects there, as well as in the one dedicated to animals.
The ancient Egyptians embalmed mainly cats, but also crocodiles, and in March Cairo announced the discovery of more than 2,000 mummified ram heads as well as mummies of sheep, dogs, goats, cows, gazelles and of mongooses.
Two tombs, which belonged to the chief scribe of the 5th dynasty, 4,400 years ago, and to an 18th dynasty priest who ruled Egypt 3,400 years ago, have also been unearthed. Both contain scenes of daily life and inscriptions in hieroglyphics, according to the Ministry of Antiquities.
The site of Saqqara, 15 kilometers south of Cairo and the famous pyramids of the Giza plateau, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is known for the famous step pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser.
Egypt regularly announces archaeological discoveries, described by some experts as announcement effects having a political and economic impact more than a scientific one.
Because the country of 105 million inhabitants in serious economic crisis relies on the tourism sector (two million jobs and more than 10% of GDP) to restore its finances. His government expects 30 million tourists per year by 2028, compared to 13 million before Covid-19.