A storehouse of 30 Egyptian mummies has been unearthed inside a 2,600-year-old tomb, in a new round of excavations at the vast necropolis of Saqqara outside Cairo, archeologists said today.
The tomb was located at the bottom of an 11-metre deep shaft, and eight of the mummies were in sarcophagi, while the rest had been placed in niches along the wall.
Egypt's top archaeologist Zahi Hawass described the discovery as a "storeroom for mummies," dating to 640 BC and the 26th Dynasty, which was Egypt's last independent kingdom before it were overthrown by a succession of foreign conquerors beginning with the Persians.
The tomb was discovered at an even more ancient site dating back to the 4,300-year-old 6th Dynasty. Most of the mummies are poorly preserved and archeologists have yet to determine their identity or why so many are in a single room.
One of the sarcophagi is made of wood and bears the name Badi N Huri, but no title. "This one might have been an important figure, but I can't tell because there was no title," Mr Hawass' assistant Abdel Hakim Karar said.
He added that the rest of the sarcophagi - including four which are tightly sealed - have yet to be opened yet. Mr Karar added that it was quite unusual for mummies of this late period to be stored in rocky niches. "Niches were known in the very early dynasties, so to find one for the 26th Dynasty is something rare," Mr Karar said.
Excavations have been ongoing at Saqqara for 150 years, uncovering a vast necropolis of pyramids and tombs dating mostly from the Old Kingdom, but including sites as recent as the Roman era. In the past, excavations have focused on just one side of the two nearby pyramids - the famous Step Pyramid of King Djoser and that of Unas, the last king of the 5th Dynasty.
The area where the current tomb was found, to the south-west, has been largely untouched by archeologists. But despite the years of excavation, new finds are constantly being made. In December last year, two tombs were found near the current discovery. The two were built for high officials - one responsible for the quarries used to build the nearby pyramids and other for a woman in charge of procuring entertainers for the pharaohs.
In November, Mr Hawass announced the discovery of a new pyramid at Saqqara, the 118th in Egypt, and the 12th to be found just in Saqqara. According to Mr Hawass only 30 per cent of Egypt's monuments have been uncovered, with the rest still under the sand.
* AP
Spain drain
CONVICTED
Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.
Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.
Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.
SUSPECTED
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.
Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.
Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.
Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.
Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.
Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.
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