CAIRO -- Egyptian antiquities officials have announced the discovery of at least 100 ancient coffins, some with mummies inside, and around 40 gilded statues in a vast necropolis south of Cairo.
The discovered items date back to the Ptolemaic dynasty that ruled Egypt for some 300 years -- from around 320 B.C. to about 30 B.C., and the Late Period (664-332 B.C.).
The discovery in Saqqara necropolis is the latest in a series of archaeological finds in Egypt. Egypt frequently touts its archeological discoveries in hopes of spurring a vital tourism industry that has suffered from security concerns in the country following the political turmoil of the 2011 uprising. The sector was also dealt a further blow this year by the coronavirus pandemic.
