CAIRO, EGYPT—Ahram Online reports that Mostafa Waziri of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities announced the discovery of some 250 wooden coffins and 150 bronze statues dated to the fifth century B.C. at the Saqqara necropolis. The intact coffins, which contain mummified remains, were found in burial shafts along with a painted statue depicting Isis and Neftis; amulets; wooden boxes; cosmetics, including combs and kohl eyeliners; jewelry such as bracelets, earrings, and seed necklaces; tools; and statues with gilded faces. One of the coffins also contained a papyrus that may contain verses of the Book of the Dead. The bronze statues include depictions of Bastet, Anubis, Osiris, Amunmeen, Isis, Nefertum, and Hathor. Another statue, which is missing its head, has been identified as the engineer Imhotep. Instruments thought to have been used during rituals honoring the goddess Isis were also recovered. To read about the elaborately painted tomb of an Egyptian dignitary that was found in Saqqara, go to "Old Kingdom Tomb," one of ARCHAEOLOGY's Top 10 Discoveries of 2019.
