New York‑style Treasure Hunt in Saqqara: Coffins, Gods, and the Old‑School Greek of Sistrums
Archaeologists working close to Cairo have stumbled upon a bounty of the past: hundreds of ancient Egyptian coffins and an armory of bronze statues that even a museum curator would drop their glasses over.
The Crystal Ballroom of Saqqara
- Bronze Gods – Anubis, Amun, Min, Osiris, Isis, Nefertum, Bastet, Hathor, plus a ghost‑shaped bust of Imhotep (yes, the brainiac who built the Saqqara pyramid).
- 250 Coffins – The Late Period (~500 BC) is the shaken keg here: painted wooden cases, intact, with mummies, amulets, and tiny wooden treasure chests.
- Other Finds – A sistrum (miniature musical carnival), ritual bronze vases for Isis, kohl jars, and a scatter of bracelets and earrings.
Inside the Not‑Quite‑Ghost of a Mummie
One special coffin held a papyrus rolling in hieroglyphs—probably a snazzy snippet from the Book of the Dead. The Egyptian Museum lab in Cairo is putting it under the microscope.
Next Stop: The Grand Egyptian Museum
All the coffins are headed for the upcoming museum near the Great Pyramids of Giza. Visitors can soon body‑walk into the 5th‑century BC‑speed‑limited archaeology of Saqqara.
Why Saqqara Rocks
South of the Giza biggies, Saqqara has been spilling over with discoveries for a decade. The dig crew, on the job since 2018, keeps bringing the ancient world into the 21st‑century spotlight.
So grab your old‑school compass and head over—there’s more treasure than you’ll find on a boring road trip between Cairo and Luxor!
