23 Mummies Dating Back to the Roman Era Unearthed in Minya

In the eastern part of the upper cemetery in Bahnasa, a city in the governorate of Minya, a Spanish archaeological mission from the University of Barcelona discovered four Roman-era and Ptolemaic-era tombs. Dr. Mustafa Waziri, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, emphasized that these discoveries are part of a series highlighting diverse burial practices across different eras.

The excavation revealed mummies wrapped in coloured rolls, some featuring funeral masks. Two of them contained a gold tongue, a known Roman-era tradition in Bahnasa for preserving the deceased. The mission also discovered 23 mummified bodies outside the coffins and four humanoid-shaped coffins, one containing two mummies alongside small votive perfume bottles.

Additionally, the archaeologists have unearthed new methods of burial, in which holes are carved into the natural rock underground. The mission also found terracotta statues depicting the goddess Isis-Aphrodite adorned with a vegetal crown, a unique discovery in Bahnasa.