Archaeologists Find Ancient Egyptian Mummy 'Treasure': 150 Bronze Statues To 250 Coffins

Illustration of the Saqqara area, Egypt. (Wikimedia Commons/Ian Sherlock)

JAKARTA - A group of archaeologists working near Cairo, Egypt encountered a 'collapsed durian' when they unearthed hundreds of ancient Egyptian coffins and bronze statues of gods.

The discovery at the Saqqara cemetery contains statues of the gods Anubis, Amun, Min, Osiris, Isis, Nefertum, Bastet and Hathor along with a headless statue of the architect Imhotep, who built the Saqqara pyramids, Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said.

"250 coffins, 150 bronze statues and other objects are from the Late Age, around 500 BC," the ministry said.

They were accompanied by a musical instrument known as a sistrum and a collection of bronze vessels used in rituals for the worship of the goddess Isis.

A painted wooden coffin was found intact in the burial pit and contained mummies, amulets and wooden boxes. Wooden statues of Nephthys and Isis from earlier periods were also found, both with gilded faces.

One coffin contained a well-preserved papyrus inscribed in hieroglyphics, possibly verses from the Book of the Dead, and was sent to the Egyptian Museum's laboratory in Cairo for study, said Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

Not only that, a collection of cosmetics was found, including kohl containers, as well as bracelets and earrings.

Later, the coffin will be moved for display in the Great Egyptian Museum which is under construction near the Great Pyramid of Giza and will open later this year.

It is known that Saqqara, which is located south of the Giza pyramids, has provided a steady stream of archaeological discoveries in recent years. The mission has been digging in the area since 2018.