Post by anansi on Jun 20, 2017 14:14:34 GMT -5
Stunned archaeologists discover 3,400-year-old ancient Egyptian
tomb containing more than a DOZEN mummies on an island in the Nile.
1 / 4One of the ancient Egyptian caskets found in the tomb in northern Sudan
Sai Island is among the most important spot o the Nile archaeologically speaking.
tomb containing more than a DOZEN mummies on an island in the Nile.
The mysterious vault, which has multiple chambers, is believed to hold the remains of a wealthy gold miner and his family
ASTONISHED archaeologists have uncovered an ancient tomb containing more than a dozen Egyptian mummies.
The 3,400-year-old underground vault on Sai Island, northern Sudan, has multiple chambers and was discovered in 2015.
ASTONISHED archaeologists have uncovered an ancient tomb containing more than a dozen Egyptian mummies.
The 3,400-year-old underground vault on Sai Island, northern Sudan, has multiple chambers and was discovered in 2015.
1 / 4One of the ancient Egyptian caskets found in the tomb in northern Sudan
The vault was discovered in 2015 but was only cracked open this year
But it wasn’t until this year that experts from AcrossBorders started to explore the mysterious tomb on the island, which is located beside the Nile River.
The ancient Egyptians built settlements on the land, known then as Nubia, and developed a profitable gold mine.
The remains found in the vault are thought to belong to a wealthy “gold master” and his family along with their funeral masks and rings which were made with the precious metal, reports Live Science.
But it wasn’t until this year that experts from AcrossBorders started to explore the mysterious tomb on the island, which is located beside the Nile River.
The ancient Egyptians built settlements on the land, known then as Nubia, and developed a profitable gold mine.
The remains found in the vault are thought to belong to a wealthy “gold master” and his family along with their funeral masks and rings which were made with the precious metal, reports Live Science.
Along with other Egyptian artefacts, the explorers found small stone sculptures called shabtis – which the ancient civilisation thought would become their servants in the afterlife.
Some hieroglyphic inscriptions in the tomb suggest it was created for a main named Khnummose whose body was found next to the corpse of a woman which could have been his wife.
The other remains are believed to be other members of his family.
Julia Budka, professor for Egyptian Archaeology and Art History at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, said the team plan to conduct DNA tests on the mummies.
She said: “We will try to extract ancient DNA from the [bones] of the bodies in question.
Some hieroglyphic inscriptions in the tomb suggest it was created for a main named Khnummose whose body was found next to the corpse of a woman which could have been his wife.
The other remains are believed to be other members of his family.
Julia Budka, professor for Egyptian Archaeology and Art History at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, said the team plan to conduct DNA tests on the mummies.
She said: “We will try to extract ancient DNA from the [bones] of the bodies in question.
An Egyptian amulet known as a scarab was found in the ancient tomb
“If the [ancient] DNA is preserved, this will help us a lot. Otherwise, it all remains tentative.
Budka confirmed the precious DNA samples have already arrived at the Department for Archaeogenetics at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany.
She also revealed that not all the bodies were in good condition – they were preserved using a type of petroleum called Bitumen – meaning it’s difficult to know the exact number of corpses.
She said: “The state of preservation is very difficult here. I am waiting for the report of my physical anthropologists.
“For now, the position and also traces of bitumen speak for some kind of mummification for all persons in Tomb 26 who were placed in wooden coffins.”
www.thesun.co.uk/news/3840267/archaeologists-find-ancient-egypt-tomb-with-dozen-mummies-inside-nile/
“If the [ancient] DNA is preserved, this will help us a lot. Otherwise, it all remains tentative.
Budka confirmed the precious DNA samples have already arrived at the Department for Archaeogenetics at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Jena, Germany.
She also revealed that not all the bodies were in good condition – they were preserved using a type of petroleum called Bitumen – meaning it’s difficult to know the exact number of corpses.
She said: “The state of preservation is very difficult here. I am waiting for the report of my physical anthropologists.
“For now, the position and also traces of bitumen speak for some kind of mummification for all persons in Tomb 26 who were placed in wooden coffins.”
www.thesun.co.uk/news/3840267/archaeologists-find-ancient-egypt-tomb-with-dozen-mummies-inside-nile/
Sai Island is among the most important spot o the Nile archaeologically speaking.
