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Two ancient mummification workshops — one for humans and another for animals — have been come upon at Saqqara in Egypt .
The workshops date back around 2,300 years and were in habit between the late thirtieth dynasty and the other Ptolemaic period of time . During that time , Egyptlost its independence , first being conquered by the Persians and then by the Macedonian U. S. Army ofAlexander the Great . After Alexander ’s death in 323 B.C. , one of his superior general , Ptolemy I , took over Egypt , and his posterity reign over the nation for nearly three centuries .
A sarcophagus found in one of the tombs.
The human mummification shop is made of clay brick and contains two beds that were used to embalm people , and the cadaver of tools and resin used in the embalm process were discovered at heart , interpreter from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities order in astatement .
Meanwhile , the beast cold gangrene shop has a magnanimous number of clayware vessel and tools used for embalm . In Egypt , animate being such as cats , pawl and fowl colligate with deities wereroutinely sacrifice and mummifiedfor ancient Egyptian interment and rite .
Some animal burials were found there , and the workshop may have been used to dry up animate being associated with Bastet , an ancient Egyptian goddess who is depicted like a cat , according to the statement .
Artifacts found in the mummification workshops and tombs.
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Near the shop , archaeologists also expose two tombs that seem to have been constructed long before the workshops . One was built for a serviceman who , according to the hieroglyphic inscriptions , lived around 4,400 years ago and held many titles , let in " director of the scribes , " the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities said . The 2nd tomb dates back around 3,400 years and was built for a priest . It ’s indecipherable what homo remain , if any , were found in these two tombs . However , at least one sarcophagus was recovered .
Also near the workshops , within a niche inside a wall , archaeologist recover an more or less 3 - foot - tall ( 1 beat ) alabaster statue describe a person , perhaps someone in charge of overseeing burying in constituent of the Saqqara neighborhood , according to the statement .
A 3 -foot-tall (1 meter) statue found within a niche in a nearby wall.
Salima Ikram , an Egyptology professor at The American University in Cairo who was not involved with the dig , said that the discovery is " a very exciting discovery " and noted that " it will assist us to well understand the different steps of the mummification process , the materials and tools used , and maybe make compare between what was done to humans as opposed to animals . "
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A wall painting found in one of the nearby tombs.
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Few mummification workshop have been launch in Egypt , Ikram said . Historical texts and archaeological finds suggest that there was " plausibly some degree of mass production " at the fauna mummification workshops , whereas human dry gangrene workshop belike work at a slower pace , she tell . Entire families seem to have work as embalmers , and there were plausibly dissimilar price for unlike level of embalming .
Zahi Hawass , a former minister of antiquity who was not ask with this work , agreed that it is a " very important discovery . " He noted that in 2016 , anotherhuman mummification workshopwas bump at Saqqara . That shop , discovered by a squad result by archeologist Ramadan Badri Hussein , dates to the 26th dynasty ( circa 688 B.C. to 525 B.C. ) . Hawass noted that the newly found human dry gangrene shop is larger than the one key in 2016 .
archaeologist involve in the new find did not return petition for comment by the fourth dimension of publication .
