Archaeologists find 2,600-year-old mummy in Egypt

New Delhi, Feb 12 (ANI): Archaeologists have found a 2,600-year-old mummy in Sakkara, Egypt, which is encased in a limestone sarcophagus.

This sarcophagus was found inside a burial chamber 11 meters below the ground, which contained another 30 mummies, wooden coffins, and limestone sarcophagi. ccording to the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), the sarcophagus dates back to 600 B.C.

The 2,600-year-old mummy was found "in the most beautiful condition" in the sarcophagus when it was opened, said SCA Secretary General Zahi Hawwas.

Hawwas believes that inside the mummy, there could be some 100 amulets, most of them in gold.

The sarcophagus, from the 26th dynasty of ancient Egypt, is one of the findings in the Sakkara area, some 20 km south of Cairo.

The SCA said that an Egyptian archaeological mission led by Hawwas had found about two dozen mummies in an ancient tomb of the Pharahonic era in the Sakkara area south of Cairo.

The mummies were unearthed in the tomb, which lies to the west of Zoser's step pyramid, the oldest stone pyramid ever found in Egypt.

Hawwas said this is another important discovery for the Egyptian expedition.

Some 30 mummies in one room "could prove that Sakkara is still a virgin site, with only 30 percent of the monuments have been found and 70 percent still buried beneath the ground," said Hawwas. (ANI)