Discovery Made in the City of the Dead in Egypt
Archaeologists have made a significant discovery at an ancient burial site in Egypt known as the “City of the Dead,” unearthing more than 300 mummy-filled tombs near the Mausoleum of Aga Khan III.
An international team of researchers announced the discovery of 36 new tombs at the site in the past five years. These tombs were used for around 900 years, from the 6th century BC to the 9th century AD, and each contained the remains of 30 to 40 people.
Ayman Ashmawy, head of the Egyptian Department of Antiquities, stated that 30-40% of the remains belonged to infants and young people who died due to infectious diseases.
The Ancient City of Aswan and Its Importance
A research team led by archaeologist Patrizia Piacentini from the University of Milan is working to learn more about the ancient city of Aswan. Aswan is known as an important trade center, granite quarry and military outpost founded around 4,500 years ago.
Piacentini said in a statement about the discovered tombs: “This was a really special and unique find in Egypt. The people of Aswan covered the hill with tombs. This is a kind of City of the Dead.”
Contents of the Tombs and Discovered Details
The City of the Dead’s exploration began in 2019 with a tomb containing the mummies of two children and, later, possibly their parents. Subsequent excavations have unearthed dozens of new tombs, providing more information about an undiscovered society that lived 2,000 years ago.
It turned out that the graves were arranged according to social status, with the elite being in the graves at the top of the hill. The graves belong to various social classes contained ceremonial gifts such as pottery and wood carvings.
The Future of Mummies
The best-preserved mummies will be sent to museums for long-term preservation, while the others will be returned to their original locations after being examined. “This is their resting place. We uncover their story and then we put them back and close the tomb. That was important to me from the beginning,” Piacentini said.
