Exquisite Mummy Unveiled in Egypt

A superbly preserved 2,300-year-old mummy bearing a golden mask and covered in brilliantly colored images of gods and goddesses was unveiled Tuesday at Egypt’s Saqqara Pyramids complex south of Cairo.

The unidentified mummy, from the 30th pharaonic dynasty, was enclosed in a wooden sarcophagus and buried in sand at the bottom of a 20-foot shaft, where it was discovered recently by an Egyptian-led archeological team.

“We have revealed what may be the most beautiful mummy ever found in Egypt,” Zahi Hawass, chief of the country’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, said as he helped excavators remove the sarcophagus lid to show off the find.

Hawass said experts would use CT scanning technology within the next week to reveal more details about the ancient Egyptian’s identity and how he had lived and died.

Afterward, the mummy will be displayed at Saqqara’s museum of Imhotep, named for the famed architect who designed the Stepped Pyramid, Egypt’s oldest.

The mummy, found two months ago, was covered from head to toe in burial cloth painted in bright colors that depicted a range of scenes, including Maat, the goddess of balance, order and truth shown with outstretched arms in the shape of feathered wings.

Hawass believes the mummified man must have been wealthy, considering his burial location and the fine gold used for the mummy’s mask.

The mummy was buried within the necropolis of King Teti, a funerary area containing dozens of burial chambers, false doors that ancient Egyptians said the souls of the dead would use to leave their tombs, and temples.

The necropolis lies alongside the collapsed pyramid of Teti, who ruled during ancient Egypt’s 6th Dynasty, more than 4,300 years ago.

Hawass also said a previously unknown pyramid had been found in the area and would be uncovered in the coming months.

Saqqara, about 12 miles south of the capital, is one of Egypt’s most popular tourist sites, featuring temples, tombs and funerary complexes.