Ancient 'city of dead' discovered in Egypt, has over 1,400 mummies in 33 tombs
In Egypt, which is famous for archaeological sites like the Valley of the Kings, archaeologists have unearthed what many are now calling the City of the Dead. Explorers have discovered more than 30 ancient Egyptian tombs that cover an entire hill in Aswan, an ancient city on the Nile, which they say could reveal clues about those who once lived there.
Archeological treasure trove?
The finds include the mummies of what are likely families buried together; coffins; cartonnage, or a paper-mache material created from recycled papyri or fabric; amphorae, or clay vessels, decorated with vine-leaf designs; and artifacts such as offering tables.
Also read:?Archaeologists Unearth 40 Mummies From An Egyptian Burial Chamber
How the city of dead was found
Some of the artifacts and tombs date back to the Late Period of ancient Egypt and the Greek and Roman eras. The burial site first came to the attention of archeologists in 2015 after illegal excavations by treasure hunters. Following this, the government asked local archaeologists to survey the area, and soon thereafter excavators discovered tombs dating to the late Greek and Roman periods.
These tomb structures were built into the rock at a vertical height of at least 10 levels and were unlike any other tombs found in Egypt from the period, which were usually about two to three levels high.
Also read:?What does a 3,500-year-old Egyptian beer taste like? Man finds out using ancient papyrus recipe
Entire families buried together?
The tombs were used for around 900 years between the sixth century B.C. and the second or third century AD. One of the striking features of these tombs is that 30% to 40% of the mummies in the newly discovered tombs belong to children as young as 2 years old and newborns.
The team also found two mummies that they initially thought belonged to a mother and son, but careful analyses later revealed that the duo were brothers buried together with their parents.
By looking at the mummies' backbones, the doctors confirmed that some had tuberculosis, which may have wiped out an entire family.?
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