Mummies of Mice, Cats, Falcons Found in Egyptian Tomb Dating Back to 2000 Years (See Pictures)
The ancient tomb is believed to be from the early Ptolemaic period, dating back more than 2,000 years.
Mummified mice were found among animals found in an Egyptian tomb which was unveiled on Friday. It was found in Sohag, a desert area near the Nile, about 390km south of Cairo. It is believed to be from the early Ptolemaic period, dating back more than 2,000 years. The ancient tomb is believed to have built for a senior official named Tutu and his wife. It is one of the seven tombs discovered in the area last October. It was found when authorities found smugglers digging illegally for artefacts.
Painted walls portraying funeral processions and images people working in the fields were found. The family's genealogy was also found written in hieroglyphics. The Guardian quoted Mostafa Waziri, the secretary general of Egypt's supreme council of antiquities as saying, "It's one of the most exciting discoveries ever in the area." He said it was a "beautiful, colourful tomb". Waziri further said, "It shows images of the owner of the burial room, Tutu, giving and receiving gifts before different gods and goddesses. We see the same thing for his wife, Ta-Shirit-Iziz, with the difference that (we see) verses from a book, the book of the afterlife." Egyptian Archaeologists Discover 50 Mummies at Ancient Burial Site Near Cairo; View Pics.
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Two mummies including that of a woman aged between 35-50 and a boy aged 12-14, were found outside a burial chamber. There were also 50 mummified mice, cats and falcons. Ptolemaic rule continued for three centuries till the Roman conquest in 30 BC. The government described Sohag as "one of the most historically rich cities in Egypt". Last year, a museum opened in the same place. Egypt often makes its discoveries public aiming to boost their tourism. Last year the country unveiled more than a dozen mummies.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 06, 2019 09:21 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).