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Giant black sarcophagus opened to reveal three skeletons

By Michael Irving
July 19, 2018
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Archaeologists have opened the giant black sarcophagus discovered in Alexandria two weeks ago
Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities
Three skeletons were found inside the black sarcophagus, who are believed to have been military officers or soldiers
Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities
Unfortunately, a sewage leak had filled the coffin
Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities
Archaeologists have opened the giant black sarcophagus discovered in Alexandria two weeks ago
Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities
Further analysis will be conducted after the coffin and its contents are transferred to the National Restoration Museum in Alexandria
Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities
View gallery - 4 images

Archaeologists have opened the giant black sarcophagus discovered in the city of Alexandria a few weeks ago. Three skeletons were found inside – as well as a fetid pool of sewage.

Uncovered in a tomb buried 5 m (16 ft) down, the striking sarcophagus measures 2.6 m (8.5 ft) long and has apparently sat undisturbed for almost 2,000 years – until now.

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities has pried open the coffin, and found three skeletons inside. Unfortunately they aren't in the best condition, since an apparent leak has filled the sarcophagus with sewage.

Three skeletons were found inside the black sarcophagus, who are believed to have been military officers or soldiers
Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities

So who are the occupants? After a cursory inspection, mummy expert Shaaban Abdul suggests they may have been military officers or soldiers. Interestingly, one of the skeletons shows signs of a possible blow to the head from an arrow.

Further analysis will be conducted after the coffin and its contents are transferred to the National Restoration Museum in Alexandria, and the rest of tomb will continue to be explored as well.

Source: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities on Facebook

View gallery - 4 images

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ScienceAfricaArcheologyMummies
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Michael Irving
Michael has always been fascinated by space, technology, dinosaurs, and the weirder mysteries of the universe. With a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing and several years experience under his belt, he joined New Atlas as a staff writer in 2016.
7 comments
Wastewater Al
Now thats a new way of getting rid of sewage, hide it in coffins
gbsderm
Brings a new meaning to buried up to your ears in shinola.
ljaques
That's not sewage. That's what's left when 3 mummies rot in a wet bucket for who knows how long. Well, at least the tomb raiders wore masks, JIC there was a trap waiting inside for them.
Nik
Perhaps they were buried together, because they were all more than, ''just good friends.''
christopher
It all seems so wrong to open. It seem perfectly unambiguously clear that their intent was to be left undisturbed.
Ralf Biernacki
@ christopher: "clear that their intent was to be left undisturbed" They might have rethought that intent, had they known that the moderns would drown their mummies in fermented sh*t. I don't known about you, but I would rather my bones rested in a museum than in a cesspit.
Ralf Biernacki
@Nik: Yes, I think they were a family. Parents with a grown child, or maybe siblings who died in a single event. DNA analysis might tell us that. There's something that looks like gold jewelry, or a fragment of gold leaf, in the lower right corner of the photo and considering the expensive sarcophagus, there might be more at the bottom of all that sewage. Rich people at that time and place were usually buried with mummy ornaments.
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