Discovery of 17 Mummies Unearthed at an Ancient Egyptian Burial Site

Aug 11, 2023

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Illustrative: Egyptian Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Enany (C) speaks to the media on May 13, 2017, in front of mummies following their discovery in catacombs in the Tuna el-Gabal district of the Minya province, in central Egypt. (AFP Photo/Khaled Desouki)

TOUNA EL-GABAL, Egypt (AFP) — Egyptian archaeologists have discovered 17 mummies in desert catacombs in Minya province, an “unprecedented” find for the area south of Cairo, the antiquities ministry announced Saturday.

Archaeologists found the non-royal mummies in a series of corridors after following the trail of burial shafts in the Touna-Gabal district of the central Egyptian province, the ministry said in a statement.

Along with the mummies, they found a golden sheet and two papyri in Demotic — an ancient Egyptian script — as well as a number of sarcophogi made of limestone and clay.

A picture taken on May 13, 2017, shows mummies lying in catacombs following their discovery in the Touna el-Gabal district of the Minya province, in central Egypt. (AFP/Khaled Desouki)

The ministry said they belonged to the Late Period, which spanned almost 300 years up to Alexander the Great’s conquest of Egypt in 332 BC.

But a spokeswoman told AFP they could also date from the Ptolemaic Dynasty, founded by Alexander the Great’s general Ptolemy.

The discovery of the non-royal mummies is considered unprecedented because it is the first such find in the area, officials said at the site.