Egypt Unveils Ancient Mummification Workshops
Egypt announced the discovery of two ancient mummification workshops and tombs at the Saqqara necropolis, south of Cairo. The find at this UNESCO World Heritage site reveals new details about embalming rituals and the economic importance of mummification in ancient Memphis. The workshops provide insight into the commercial and religious aspects of ancient Egyptian burial practices.
- The two workshops date back to the 30th Dynasty (380-343 B.C.E.) and the Ptolemaic period (305-30 B.C.E.). One was designed for human embalming, while the other was used for the mummification of sacred animals. - The human mummification workshop, built from mud brick, contained two-meter-long stone beds with gutters, designed to drain and collect fluids during the embalming process. Inside, archaeologists found clay pots, linens, resins, and instruments for organ removal. - The animal workshop featured five different stone beds and was likely used to mummify animals sacred to the cat goddess Bastet. It contained a large number of pottery vessels and bronze tools used in the animal embalming process. - In addition to the workshops, the Egyptian mission led by Mostafa Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, uncovered two nearby tombs that predate the workshops by centuries. - One tomb belonged to Ne Hesut Ba, a high-ranking official and priest from the Old Kingdom's Fifth Dynasty (around 2400 B.C.E.). The other was the tomb of Men Kheber, a priest from the New Kingdom's 18th Dynasty (around 1400 B.C.E.). - Among the other discoveries was a 3-foot-tall alabaster statue of a man, believed to be Men Khaber Ra, found in a niche in the New Kingdom tomb. The statue features four cartouches mentioning the pharaohs Thutmose III and Thutmose IV.
