The Mummies Return

In the fall of 2020, archaeologists unearthed 59 wooden mummy coffins from burial shafts at Egypt’s Saqqara necropolis (“Top 10 Discoveries of 2020"). Since then, continued investigations at the site have added to the still-growing tally. A total of more than 100 painted coffins, most dating to between 712 and 30 B.C., have emerged from the shafts—so far. Among the objects interred alongside the deceased were 40 statues of Saqqara’s patron deity, Ptah-Sokar, 20 wooden boxes decorated with images of the god Horus, and a variety of gilded death masks, amulets, and ushabti figurines.