TORONTO -- A joint Dominican-Egyptian archeological dig working at the Taposiris Magna Temple in western Alexandria, Egypt, has unearthed 16 burials in rock-cut tombs, known as burial shafts.
Burial shafts were popular in the Greek and Roman eras of Egypt that spanned a period from approximately 323 BC to 640AD.
Inside the burial shafts, several “poorly-preserved” mummies were found, with very special detail – golden tongues.
It is thought that the golden tongue amulets placed in the mummy in a special ritual would “ensure they have the ability to speak in the after life” in the god Osiris’ court, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a translated release.
Osiris was worshipped as ancient Egypt’s lord of the underworld and judge of the dead.
A second mummy was found wearing a crown decorated with horns and cobra snake at the forehead, and wore a necklace that had a depiction of a falcon – the symbol of the god Horus.
Dr. Khaled Abo El Hamd, Director General of the antiquities authority in Alexandria, is quoted in the release that this dig had found several other archeological discoveries, including a woman’s funeral mask with golden decoration meant to represent the leaves of a wreath, and eight marble masks depicting the features of their owner – all of which show considerable craftsmanship.
The release states that in the past ten years other significant finds, such as a number of coins bearing the name and image of Queen Cleopatra were found inside the temple walls.
