Egypt on Saturday opened two ancient pyramids south of the capital Cairo and showed a collection of newly found stone coffins, some containing well-preserved mummies, which were rarely found in the other pyramids.
Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani told reporters the Bent Pyramid of King Sneferu, the first pharaoh of Egypt's 4th dynasty, and a nearby pyramid would be reopened to visitors for the first time since 1965. He also said a team of archaeologists had uncovered the stone coffin and the remains of an ancient wall dating back to the Middle Kingdom some 4,000 years ago.
The finds were made during excavation work in the royal necropolis of Dahshur on the west bank of the Nile River, in an area home to some of Egypt's oldest pyramids. "Several stones, clay and wooden coffins were found and some contain mummies in good condition," the antiquities ministry said in a statement. The ancient wall stretches some 60 metres and is situated in the south of the pyramid of 12th dynasty pharaoh King Amenemhat II, also in the Dahshur necropolis.
The finds also included funerary masks as well as tools dating back to the Late Period, which spanned almost 300 years up to Alexander the Great's conquest of Egypt in 332 BC, used for cutting stones, the ministry said. Egypt has in recent years sought to promote archaeological discoveries across the country in a bid to revive tourism, which took a hit from the turmoil that followed its 2011 uprising.
本时文内容由奇速英语国际教育研究院原创编写，未经书面授权，禁止复制和任何商业用途，版权所有，侵权必究！（作者投稿及时文阅读定制请联系微信：400-1000-028）
13980503458
13980503458
admin@qisuen.cn
