Asarcophagus in Saqqara, Giza province, Egypt. Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa via Getty Images.
Archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed more than 50 sarcophagi and an ancient funerary temple at the Saqqara necropolis, just south of Cairo.
Led by Egypt’s former antiquities minister, archaeologist Zahi Hawass, a team recovered intact, sealed wooden coffins carved into the shape of human figures and decorated with colorful designs. The coffins, dating to the New Kingdom period (ca. 1570–ca. 1069 BC), were buried in shafts around 35 feet underground alongside burial wells, mummies, statues of deities, and other artifacts.
Hawass said the “major discoveries” also included a 13-foot papyrus scroll inscribed with text from chapter 17 of the Book of the Dead, an ancient missive directing the dead toward the underworld. Games intended to keep the dead occupied were also discovered in the funerary site, according to CBS.