Ancient Egyptian tombs and a statue of the "God of Silence" discovered in Saqqara (photo)

Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered a series of tombs dating back to about 1800-4800, some of which contain colorful mummy masks and even a child's statue of the god of silence.

According to Nozomu Kawai, director of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations and Cultural Resources at Kanazawa University, who led the excavations, the colorful mummy masks worn by the dead probably date back to the Roman period (29 BC - 641 AD).

According to Live Science, the archaeologists also found a small statue of Harpocrates, a Greek god who looks like a child sitting on top of a goose - he is associated with silence. The goose represents "the evil spirit over which the Divine Child triumphs."

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The team also found a stele, or carved stone slab, with an inscription indicating that it belonged to a man named "Heroides."

Archaeologists initially found some of the burials at the site in northern Saqqara-including the tomb of a "worthy" woman named Demetria, depicted in a carving with her pet.

When they returned in 2023, they unearthed several additional tombs and artifacts.

"The area we are excavating is the eastern escarpment of the North Saqqara Plateau. The oldest tombs date back to the Second Dynasty (approximately 4800 years ago)," explained the excavation leader.

The team of scientists also found tombs from the 18th Dynasty (approximately 1550 to 1295 BC), the Late Period (approximately 712 to 332 BC), as well as tombs and artifacts dating back to the Ptolemaic and Roman periods.

Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a translated statement that the 18th Dynasty tomb contained a mummy in a coffin.

Saqqara contains huge necropolises, so it is not surprising that archaeologists have found tombs of various dynasties of Ancient Egypt.

As a reminder, luxuriously decorated tombs from the 2nd and 4th centuries AD were found in Italy.

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