The Antiquities Ministry said the mummies dating to the Late Period (664-332 B.C.) are covered with a layer of painted material called cartonnage in the form of a human.
The ministry said late Tuesday that the mummies were found in an area of King Amenemhat II’s pyramid in the Dahshur royal necropolis. The necropolis was the burial site for courtiers and high-ranking officials.
The area is home to what is considered to be some of the earliest pyramids, including Sneferu’s Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid.
Egypt hopes such discoveries will spur tourism, which is partially driven by antiquities sightseeing that was hit hard by political turmoil following the 2011 uprising.
Tomb TT33 — as archaeologists call one of the findings in Luxor (a city that was also called Thebes in ancient times) — is being excavated by a French team led by Frédéric Colin, an Egyptology professor at the University of Strasbourg in France. The tomb has been excavated several times since the 19th century, revealing many artifacts. Even so, the tomb is so big that parts of it are still unexcavated.
Pouyou’s sarcophagus was opened during a Nov. 24 press conference, revealing the remains of her mummy.
Mummies Discovered by Egyptian Archaeologist South of Cairo https://t.co/FUaaLuo4oh #Egypt #Cairo #Mummies #Sarcophagi @indyfromspace @yukinegy pic.twitter.com/DcCtWsy0Uk
— Luxor Times (@luxortimes) November 27, 2018
The new discoveries include the sarcophagus of Pouyou (also spelled Pouya), who lived sometime during the 18th dynasty (1550-1295 B.C.), said the French team in a statement. At that time, Egypt was independent and powerful, at times controlling an empire that stretched as far as modern-day Syria. Pouyou’s sarcophagus was opened during a Nov. 24 press conference, revealing the remains of her mummy.
The tomb also yielded another sarcophagus, although it’s not yet clear who it belongs to. Its painting and design indicate that it dates to the 17th dynasty (1580-1550 B.C.), the French team said in its statement. At that time, the Hyksos, a group from west Asia, controlled part of Egypt.
Additionally, the French team discovered several mummies in the tomb, outside of a sarcophagus. These mummies may be from the same family, the Egyptian ministry said in a series of tweets. It’s not clear when this family lived or if Pouyou is related to them.