Mummies and colourful coffins unearthed in Egypt

**Honey** · April 27th, 2009, 11:31 PM

Archaeologists have unearthed a cache of mummies in brightly painted wooden coffins near Egypt's little-known Lahun pyramid, they revealed today.
The mummies were the first to be found in the sand-covered desert rock surrounding the mud-brick Lahun pyramid, believed to be built by the 12th dynasty pharaoh Senusret II, who ruled 4,000 years ago. The team expects more exciting finds to come.

A wooden coffin containing linen-wrapped mummy was found near the Illahun Pyramid in Faiyum south-west of Cairo

'The tombs were cut on the rock itself, and they vary in architectural designs,' said archaeologist Abdul Rahman Al-Ayedi, head of excavations at the site.
'Most of the mummies we discovered were with these bright and beautiful colours.'
At the site, bare skulls from some of the mummies sit on a hillside while workers gently brush away sand from coffins below the earth that bear images of their occupants, some painted in striking hues of green, red and white.
Ayedi said the dozens of tombs dotting the site near Fayoum, 60 km (35 miles) south of Cairo, could give insight into the development of Egyptian funerary architecture and traditions from the Middle Pharaonic Kingdom all the way to the Roman era.

An Egyptian worker brushes dust off the 4000-year-old coffins
Some of the tombs were built on top of graves from earlier eras, and Ayedi said archaeologists had found dozens of mummies, including around 30 that were well-preserved. Some were inscribed with prayers intended to help the deceased.

Further findings

Ayedi said Egypt would soon announce an additional significant find near the Lahun pyramid, once covered by slabs of white limestone, showing the site could date back to an earlier era thousands of years before previously thought.
'The prevailing idea was that this site has been established by Senusret II, the fourth king of the 12th dynasty. But in light of our discovery, I think we are going to change this theory, and soon we will announce another discovery,' he promised.

The necropolis was discovered along with charred remains of a number of coffins that were probably burned

Ayedi said he had wanted to excavate at Lahun, Egypt's southernmost pyramid, because he was not satisfied with the result of the first excavation there in the 19th century.
'The size of the site is huge. So I thought that we could unearth a lot of elements in this site. At the beginning of the excavation, I thought that we may rewrite the history of the area, and I was right,' he said.
Archaeologists found the main entrance to the pyramid last year in a 16-metre well, and later found storage jars and other objects inside before finding the mummies in the surrounding desert stone in recent months.
Egypt, whose economy relies heavily on tourism, has made several significant discoveries this year including a rare intact mummy found in February in a sealed sarcophagus near the world's oldest standing step pyramid at Saqqara, near Cairo.

Archaeologists hope to start digging soon in search of the tomb of Cleopatra and possibly her lover Mark Antony on Egypt's north coast. Cleopatra, facing possible captivity in Rome, is alleged to have killed herself by the sting of an asp in 30 BC.

Mummies and colourful coffins unearthed in Egypt | Mail Online

**mama mia** · April 28th, 2009, 08:13 AM

Really incredible!

**Sweetie** · April 28th, 2009, 08:40 AM

Absolutely amazing. I would really LOVE to have that job. I just can't imagine the feelings they get when they discover something.

**angelais** · April 28th, 2009, 08:41 AM

That is so cool! I once just saw some Egyptian artifacts at a museum and I swear it gave me goosebumps. Maybe I'm just easily thrilled.

**Novice** · April 28th, 2009, 08:44 AM

Honey - thanks for posting I'd not heard anything about this! And look at those colours!!!!

**qwerty** · April 28th, 2009, 09:28 AM

Amazing find. I went to the King Tut exhibit last month and it was pretty cool. Sadly, Tut's sarcophagus was not part of the exhibit. I guess it's permanently on display at the Cairo museum?

**Penny Lane** · April 28th, 2009, 09:32 AM

I love Egyptian artifacts... everything is so intricate and beautiful... this is a huge find.. thanks for posting, Honey.

**McJag** · April 28th, 2009, 10:08 AM

I would work there for free,just to see it all.

**cmmdee** · April 28th, 2009, 11:47 AM

All of the Egyptian artifacts/discoveries/history amazes me. It's just astounding.

**yoyoma** · April 28th, 2009, 12:08 PM

Incredible! The design on the coffins are beautiful...

**msdeb** · April 28th, 2009, 12:40 PM

i'm just in awe of Egyptian Artifacts. so beautiful.

**Ravenna** · April 28th, 2009, 06:22 PM

Originally Posted by qwerty

Amazing find. I went to the King Tut exhibit last month and it was pretty cool. Sadly, Tut's sarcophagus was not part of the exhibit. I guess it's permanently on display at the Cairo museum?

You might be thinking of his death mask, as that is the most famous object. It was once part of a traveling exhibit in the 70's, but it has been said that it will never leave Egypt again. It is on display in the museum in Cairo along with the innermost coffin, made of solid gold, and the middle coffin. The outermost coffin, stone sarcophagus and his mummy are all in his tomb.

.