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Ancient sarcophagi unearthed
10/02/2007 13:02 - (SA)
Cairo - Archaeologists have uncovered three wooden pharaonic sarcophagi, dating to the 20th century BC, Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities said in a statement on Saturday.
"The three sarcophagi were found in a very well preserved condition inside three burial shafts," said the statement.
The find took place early this week at a site south of the Saqqara pyramids, about 25km south of Cairo.
According to the council's chief, Zahi Hawass, the first sarcophagi dates to Egypt's 1 500 BC to 1 000 BC New Kingdom and is a black anthropoid.
It carries paintings portraying the four sons of the falcon-headed god Horus and its inscription says it to belongs to a person called "Waya-ly".
Anthropoid, or person-shaped, coffins were particularly important to ancient Egyptians, who believed them to act as a substitute body for use after death.
The second and the third sarcophagi date to the Middle Kingdom, 4bsp;000 years ago, and are decorated with black pieces of glass.
The Japanese archaeological mission has been working in Saqqara since the early 1990s looking for Middle Kingdom tombs.
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