A TROVE of ancient treasures has been found at the Egyptian archaeological site of Saqqara.

Major finds include the funerary temple of Queen Naert, texts from the Book of the Dead and wooden sarcophagi.

This mummy was found near the ancient the funerary temple

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This mummy was found near the ancient the funerary templeCredit: EPA

The Egyptian tourism and antiquities ministry announced the exciting finds that have been discovered at the necropolis just south of Cairo.

Egyptologist Zahi Hawass led the excavations.

He and his team found 52 sarcophagi as part of the recent discoveries.

The sarcophagi date back to the New Kingdom of Egypt and were found at around 40 foot underground.

Over 50 wooden sarcophagi have been found

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Over 50 wooden sarcophagi have been foundCredit: AP:Associated Press
Lots of skulls and bones were also uncovered

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Lots of skulls and bones were also uncoveredCredit: AP:Associated Press
The wooden coffins are intricately decorated

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The wooden coffins are intricately decorated Credit: EPA

The wooden coffins uncovered in deep burial shafts near the newly found funerary temple and dated back to around the 16th and the 11th century BC.

The funerary temple of Queen Naert was found near her husband’s pyramid burial site.

She was married to King Teti who is said to have ruled over ancient Egypt for 12 years and was rumoured to have been murdered in 2291 BC.

King Teti’s burial site had already been found at Saqqara.

Workers digging at the newly discovered funerary temple

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Workers digging at the newly discovered funerary templeCredit: EPA
Lots of pottery was also found

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Lots of pottery was also foundCredit: EPA

King Teti’s pyramid is just one of numerous smaller pyramids that can be found at the Saqqara site.

Other finds include a 13ft-long papyrus that contains texts from the Book of the Dead.

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Lots of human remains were found both in and outside of coffins

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Lots of human remains were found both in and outside of coffinsCredit: AP:Associated Press
Further analysis on the remains will be conducted

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Further analysis on the remains will be conductedCredit: AP:Associated Press

There were also spells on the ancient paper that were intended to help the dead direct themselves to the underworld.

Experts think the finds could teach us more about the New Kingdom in Egypt as well as the older Sixth Dynasty that Queen Naert lived in.

Lots of the sarcophagi decorations remain intact

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Lots of the sarcophagi decorations remain intactCredit: EPA
Ancient papyrus containing words from the Book of the Dead was also found

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Ancient papyrus containing words from the Book of the Dead was also foundCredit: EPA

The news of these finds comes after Egyptian ministers revealed the discovery of over 100 intact Sarcophagi late last year.

Egypt hopes that new discoveries like this and the eventual opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, featuring Tutankhamun and all his artefacts, will encourage tourists to come back to Egypt in droves.

Several mummies were found

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Several mummies were foundCredit: AP:Associated Press
Egyptologist Zahi Hawass led the discoveries

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Egyptologist Zahi Hawass led the discoveriesCredit: EPA
Saqqara has numerous pyramids and burial sites

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Saqqara has numerous pyramids and burial sitesCredit: EPA
Workers were following coronavirus rules

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Workers were following coronavirus rulesCredit: EPA

The mummies and the sarcophagi will be studied by skilled experts who are hopefully not superstitious.

The curse of the pharaohs is an alleged curse that some people believe will affect anyone who disturbs mummified remains of an Ancient Egyptian person.

This supposed curse is not said to differentiate between archaeologists and thieves and is said to cause bad luck, illness or even death.

It’s often connected to King Tutankhamun and the people who died after opening his tomb.

A brief history of Ancient Egypt

Here’s everything you need to know…

  • The Ancient Egyptians were an advanced civilisation who at one point owned a huge portion of the globe
  • The civilisation began about 5,000 years ago when ancient humans began building villages along the River Nile
  • It lasted for about 3,000 years and saw the building of complex cities centuries ahead of their time – as well as the famous Great Pyramids
  • The Ancient Egyptians were experts at farming and construction
  • They invented a solar calendar, and one of the world’s earliest writing systems: The hieroglyph
  • The Egyptians were ruled by kings and queens called pharaohs
  • Religion and the afterlife were a huge part of Ancient Egyptian culture. They had over 2,000 gods
  • Pharaohs built huge elaborate tombs to be buried in, some of which were pyramids – at the time among the largest buildings in the world
  • The Egyptians believed in life after death, and important people’s corpses were mummified to preserve their bodies for the afterlife
  • The Ancient Egytpian empire fell due to a mix of factors, including wars with other empires and a 100-year period of drought and starvation
Ancient Egyptian burial shaft with 13 completely sealed coffins found after 2,500 years – and could be ‘cursed’

In other archaeology news, an ancient painting of a hairy, warty pig has been hailed as the oldest-known animal drawing in the world.

Early humans may have hibernated just like bears to try and survive harsh winters.

And, a mummified wolf pup dating back 57,000 years has been unearthed in Canada with its fur and teeth still intact.

What do you think of the ancient Egyptian finds? Let us know in the comments…


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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk

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