16 Jul 2500-Year-Old Ancient “Mummification Workshop” Discovered By Archeologists Near Cairo

I’ve always been fascinated by Egyptian history and mythology. What we’ve managed to learn about this ancient civilization is just the tip of the iceberg, so when a new discovery of Egyptian artifacts is made, it’s a huge deal and an incredible insight into ancient civilizations.

Now, Egyptian archeologists have uncovered an ancient mummification workshop that’s over 2500 years old. The workshop would be the area where bodies would have been embalmed and researchers believe that the containers left behind may hold the secrets to the types of oils the ancient Egyptians used during mummification.

“We are in front of a goldmine of information about the chemical composition of these oils,” Ramadan Hussein, the head of the German-Egyptian archeological mission told the press at a recent conference at the dig site outside Cairo.

He continued, “This [discovery] is so important as it’s extensive. We have oils and measuring cups – all of them are labeled… from this, we can find the chemical composition of the oils and discover what they are.”

For more details on this amazing discovery, check out the official conference below:

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Many bowls, measuring cups, and jars were found. These jars were used not only to hold the embalming oils, but also to hold the removed organs from the corpses prior to mummification. A number of actual mummies, some wearing death masks, were also uncovered at the site.

One of these death masks was gilded in silver and onyx and found on a mummy in a badly damaged wooden coffin. The mask belonged to a priest and is the first to be found since 1939. Hussein is calling the find nothing sort of a sensation.

“Very few masks of precious metals have been preserved to the present day, because the tombs of most Ancient Egyptian dignitaries were looted in ancient times,” he explained. Since the area does not seem to have been looted, this is likely just the beginning when it comes to exciting artifact discoveries.

The workshop was discovered near the Great Pyramids at an ancient necropolis. It’s hard to believe such a treasure trove so close to a popular tourist destination had been kept a secret for so long, but the discovery is just another indication of how much more there is to know about the ancient civilization.

The exact location is just south of Cairo at the Saqqara necropolis of Memphis, which was the first capital of ancient Egypt. As well as the mummification workshop, a long shaft, which was used as a burial chamber, was also discovered.

As well, the area is home to several other tombs and temples. It is also where the three pyramids of Giza can be found and, as a result, has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Many of the artifacts discovered in the workshop – which archeologists believe date back as far as 664-404 BC and hold the secrets to the mummification process used in the 26th Dynasty – will be on display in the Grand Egyptian Museum later this year.

This museum, which is also known as the Giza Museum, is currently under construction, but a first phase exhibiting the full Tutankhamun collection is already open to the public. Once completed, it will be the largest archeological museum in the world.

To see the results of Tutankhamun’s revolutionary autopsy, check out the video below:

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The museum sits on 120 acres of land just a little over a mile away from the famous Giza Pyramids and will display over 50,000 artifacts. Exhibits from other Egyptian museums will be moved here, making the museum a must-see destination for tourists in the area and archeology buffs alike.

The cost of the enormous museum is $795 million and construction has so far taken six years to complete. Phase one of the museum opened this year, with other phases shortly to be completed.

The museum and its displayed artifacts have been widely promoted by Egypt in an effort to revive its dwindling tourist industry, which suffered greatly after the political turmoil that followed the public uprising in 2011.

Egyptian Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani is excited about the new mummification workshop and gilded death mask discovery. He recently told reporters that he believes that the site will produce more significant discoveries.

Aside from the archeological significance of discovering the mummification jars and the silver and onyx gilded mask, bejeweled sarcophagi and many figurines that were also found at the dig site will make for very attractive artifacts to eventually be displayed at the museum.

Not only will the discovery be a “goldmine” for tourists looking to view these impressive artifacts, but also for archeologists, who will learn long-lost information about the ancient Egyptian embalming process.

I look forward to hearing more about this embalming process used centuries ago, as well as about future discoveries and breakthroughs about this ancient civilization. They were truly a fascinating people.

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