Nov 15, 2020 - World

In photos: Egypt uncovers 100 ancient coffins buried 2,500 years ago

Rebecca Falconer

Ancient sarcophagi are displayed during a press conference at Saqqara, Egypt. — Newly rediscovered ancient sarcophagi are displayed in Saqqara, Egypt. Photo: Fadel Dawood/Picture Alliance via Getty Images

Archaeologists in Egypt unveiled Saturday some 40 gilded statues and at least 100 ancient coffins dating back over 2,500 years — and some contain mummies.

The big picture: The find in a vast pharaonic necropolis at Saqqara, south of Cairo, follows 59 intact sarcophagi uncovered at the site in September and October. Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Anany told a briefing, "Saqqara has yet to reveal all of its contents," per Al Jazeera. "Excavations are still under way."

An archaeologist with one of the finds in Egypt — An archaeologist cleans a statue that's among the artifacts uncovered in Egypt's ancient capital of Memphis, where the Giza Pyramids are located. Photo: Ahmed Hasan/AFP via Getty Images

Archaeologists inspect a mummy, wrapped in a burial shroud adorned with brightly coloured hieroglyphic pictorials — Archaeologists inspect a mummy, wrapped in a burial shroud. The antiquities date from the Ptolemaic dynasty, which ruled Egypt from about 320-30 B.C., and the Late Period of 664-332 B.C. Photo: Ahmed Hasan/AFP via Getty Images

Archaeologists clean statues and funerary masks during the unveiling of an ancient treasure trove of more than a 100 intact sarcophagi, at the Saqqara necropolis — Archaeologists clean statues and funerary masks during the unveiling. They were found in three burial shafts at depths of 40 feet. Photo: Ahmed Hasan/AFP via Getty Images

A picture shows wooden sarcophagi on display during the unveiling of an ancient treasure trove of more than a 100 intact sarcophagi, at the Saqqara necropolis — Wooden sarcophagi on display during the unveiling. El-Anany said the discoveries will be moved to "at least three" museums in Cairo, including the Grand Egyptian Museum that's being built near the Giza Pyramids. Photo: Ahmed Hasan/AFP via Getty Images

Egyptian archaeologists restore the newly discovered ancient statues during a press conference at Saqqara. — Archaeologists restore the newly found antiquities. Photo: Mohammed Fouad/Picture Alliance via Getty Images

A picture shows statues and funerary masks on display during the unveiling of an ancient treasure trove of more than a 100 intact sarcophagi, at the Saqqara necropolis — The sealed wooden coffins, unveiled on site. Photo: Ahmed Hasan/AFP via Getty Images

Go deeper: Scientists sequenced DNA from ancient Egyptian mummies