Archaeologists working near Cairo have discovered hundreds of ancient Egyptian coffins and bronze statues of deities.
The discovery in a cemetery in Saqqara includes statues of the gods Anubis, Amon, Min, Osiris, Isis, Nefertum, Bastet and Hathor, along with a headless statue of architect Imhotep, who built the Saqqara pyramid, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
250 coffins, 150 bronze statues and other objects date from the late period, around 500 BC, the ministry said.
They were accompanied by a musical instrument known as the sistrum and a collection of bronze vessels used in rituals to worship the goddess Isis.
The painted wooden coffins were found intact in burial pits and contained mummies, amulets and wooden boxes. Wooden statues of Nephthys and Isis from an earlier period have also been found, both with gilded faces.
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One coffin contained a well-preserved papyrus written in hieroglyphs, perhaps verses from the Book of the Dead, and was sent to the laboratory of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo for research, said Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
A collection of cosmetics was found, including stake containers, as well as bracelets and earrings.
The coffins will be transferred for display at the Great Egyptian Museum under construction near the Great Pyramids of Giza and will open later this year.
Saqqara, south of the Pyramids of Giza, has provided a steady stream of archeological discoveries in recent years. The mission has been excavating the area since 2018.
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