Archaeologists found 16 Egyptian burials in the ancient Egyptian city of Taposiris Magna, located about 45 kilometers west of Alexandria. One of the 2,000-year-old mummies had a gold tongue.
The researchers believe that during embalming in the mouth of the mummies gold foil amulets in the shape of a tongue were placed so that the deceased could speak in the other world.
Taposiris Magna is home to temples dedicated to Osiris and Isis, a goddess who was Osiris’ wife and sister at the same time. The other 15 burials also date back about 2,000 years. All burials are located inside a mountain. Such burials were popular in ancient Greek and Roman times, so archaeologists believe that individuals lived in a time when Egypt was ruled by the Ptolemies or the Roman Empire.
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Archaeological finds demonstrate that the Taposiris Magna temple was a unique blend of Egyptian and Greek architecture.
نجحت البعثة المصرية الدومينيكانية العاملة بمعبد تابوزيريس ماجنا بغرب الإسكندرية، في الكشف عن ١٦ دفنة في مقابر منحوتة
— Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (@TourismandAntiq) January 29, 2021
The Egyptian-Dominican mission, working at the Taposiris Magna Temple in western Alexandria, succeeded in discovering 16 burials in the rock-cut tombs pic.twitter.com/x6Yr7g1zo8
Most of the remains of the mummies are in poor condition. However, the stone funerary masks are preserved, allowing archaeologists to see what each person might look like.
For example, a female mummy wears a death mask that covers a large part of her body and depicts her with a headdress while smiling. Also, one of the mummies, according to archaeologists, has gold remains that represent Osiris, the ancient Egyptian god of the dead.
The other mummy wears the crown of the ancient Egyptian deity Atef, decorated with horns and a cobra on its forehead. On his chest there is a large necklace decorated with a falcon’s head, symbolic of one of the most significant deities of ancient Egypt, Horus, who performed many functions, being, in particular, the god of royalty and of the heavens.
Scroll remains were found in two of the mummies, which scientists are analyzing and deciphering. The layers of plaster or cartonnage, covering one of these mummies have golden decorations of Osiris, according to the statement.
The researchers also found several statues depicting the people who were buried in the place who are so well preserved, we can still distinguish the hairstyles and headdresses from the individuals.
The team of archaeologists led by the Dominican Republic lawyer, archaeologist and diplomat Kathleen Martínez has been carrying out excavations at Taposiris Magna since 2002. So far they have discovered 27 tombs and 10 mummies.
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Kathleen Martínez is known for having undertaken since 2005 the search for the tomb of Cleopatra, the last ruler of the Ptolemaic kingdom of Egypt and one of the most famous pharaohs. The scientist is convinced that the tomb could be found in this vast and still unexplored place.