Wooden coffin with mummy dating Greco-Roman Period unearthed

CAIRO – 14 November 2017: A Russian-Egyptian archaeological mission unearthed a wooden coffin with a mummy inside it dating back to the Greco-Roman Period on Tuesday at the historical Deir al-Banat region at Atsa City, Fayoum, Egypt.

The Russian mission from the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences led by Professor of History of Science Galina Belova made the discovery during their ongoing excavations at the region, which commenced seven years ago.

The historical Deir al-Banat region consists of two parts: the first one is the remaining of the building of church and monastery, while the second part is the tomb region dating back to the Greco-Roman Period and the early Coptic era where many mummies are discovered.

Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri said that the mission found inside the coffin a mummy in good condition wrapped in linen cloth with a blue and gold mask placed over the head. The mask, he added, is decorated with drawings of heavenly god Khaiber while the picture of the goddess Isis is drawn on the coffin at the chest.

At the same time, head of the Islamic and Coptic monuments sector Mohammed Abdel-Latif said that the mission has restored the coffin and mummy. The coffin was poorly preserved because the lid was broken and the base had numerous cracks without any inscriptions. Many studies were done on the coffin.

In the last period, many discoveries were unearthed in Egypt as the latest one was the discovery of an 18th dynasty (1549/1550 BC to 1292 BC) tomb in Luxor. The tomb, unearthed in Luxor, Upper Egypt, belonged to Amun-Re’s goldsmith, Amenemhat (Kampp 390), Egypt’s Minister of Antiquities Khaled Anani announced in a press conference last month.

About 70 foreign missions are working on the different archaeological sites in Luxor within the upcoming weeks, according to Waziri. He adds that the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities is seeking to improve all archaeological sites ahead of the tourist season by developing and renovating temples, royal tombs and archaeological sites. Hawass had previously announced that what Egypt discovered thus far represents about 30 percent of its total antiquities; the remaining 70 percent is still buried in the sand.

The coffin was poorly preserved because the lid was broken and the base had numerous cracks without any inscriptions – Courtesy of the Mission’s official Facebook page