Mummy dating back to Graeco-Roman era unearthed southern Egypt's Cairo

Source: Xinhua| 2017-11-15 05:08:39|Editor: Zhou Xin
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CAIRO, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- An Egyptian-Russian archeological mission uncovered a wooden coffin with a mummy dating back to the Graeco-Roman era at a site in Egypt's Fayoum province south of the capital Cairo, the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities revealed in a statement on Tuesday.

"The mummy is in a good condition of preservation and wrapped in linen. The head is covered with a mask of cartonnage in a human shape and painted in blue and gold," said Mostafa Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

Waziri noted that the mask is decorated with a scene of the ancient of god of the sky "Khebr" and the chest is painted with a scene of goddess Isis, while a drawing of a white sabot is located beneath the feet.

Found at the archeological site of a monastery in Fayoum known as Deir al-Banat, the coffin was found in a very fragile condition with cracks all over and no inscriptions.

The Russian mission has been working in the site for seven years and it is affiliated with Russian Institute for Oriental Studies.

Egypt has witnessed several big archeological discoveries this year.

Last week, in north-western Fayoum, a German-Egyptian archaeological mission discovered remains of the first hellenistic gymnasium ever found in Egypt.

In early October, archeologists have discovered part of a Pharaonic obelisk dating back to about 4,300 years ago in Saqqara district on the outskirt of Egypt's Giza province near Cairo.

In May, Egyptian archaeologists uncovered a burial chamber of a 13th Dynasty pyramid in Dahshur archaeological site in Giza, dating back to more than 3,600 years ago.

In the same month, a Spanish team discovered remains of a nearly 4,000-year-old funerary garden outside a tomb in Upper Egypt's city of Luxor, known in ancient Egypt as Thebes.

Earlier in March, an Egyptian-German mission discovered three-millennia-old statue believed to be of ancient King Ramses II at Cairo district of Matariya.

Unearthed in two parts, the statue was moved to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo to be initially reassembled and restored before being transferred to its final destination at the Grand Egyptian Museum near the Great Pyramids of Giza that is scheduled to be opened in 2018.

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