Archaeologists: 30 mummies found in newly discovered tomb in Egypt

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Egyptian archaeologists said they have discovered 30 mummies inside a 2,600-year-old tomb, in the latest round of excavations at the vast necropolis of Saqqara south of Cairo. Egypt's chief archaeologist, Zahi Hawas, said the new tomb was found Sunday at the bottom of an 11-meter deep well. Eight of the mummies were in sarcophagi and the rest had been placed in niches in the wall. Hawas described the new site as a "storeroom for mummies." His assistant Abdel Hakim Karar said Monday the use of the niches was rare during that period of time. Excavations have been ongoing at Saqqara for 150 years, uncovering a vast cemetery dating mostly from the Old Kingdom, but including sites as recent as the Roman era.