Polish archaeologists have completed another season of excavations in Saqqara

Nauka w Polsce

About 20 burials, including a few fully preserved mummies, were discovered by Polish archaeologists at a necropolis dating back to the Ptolemaic dynasty in Saqqara (Eqypt) during the 13th excavation season. Some of them have beautiful cartonnages – plaster cases which are covered in religious paintings. “They are extremely valuable as they confirm that there was a special ‘school’ of producing cartonnages and decorating mummies in Saqqara” – said Prof. Karol Myśliwiec, heading the excavations.

“In various museums in the world, there are groups of mummies similar to the ones discovered by us – but their origins are unknown. Thanks to our discovery, many museums from different countries will be able to link their artefacts with the Saqqara necropolis” – he explained.

The tombs were discovered under a layer of sand at the site of the “upper necropolis” located on the west side of the oldest pyramid in the world built for pharaoh Djoser. The aim of the excavations was to find more materials to add to the already existing ones for publication.

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