As of: 03/26/2023 4:22 pm
In Abydos, Egypt, researchers unearthed countless animal mummies. Presumably they are offerings to Ramses II. In the case of similar findings, however, accusations of sensationalism have recently been leveled.
A New York University research team unearthed more than 2,000 mummified rams from the Ptolemaic period in the ancient Egyptian city of Abydos. Archaeologists also exhumed the mummies of sheep, dogs, goats, cows, gazelles and mongooses – meerkats belong to this species – according to Cairo’s Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism. Excavation site is a temple of Pharaoh Ramses II.
According to the leader of the North American group, Sameh Iskander, the ram’s heads are offerings. These pointed to a cult of worship for Ramses II even 1000 years after his death.
This photo, released by Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities, shows one of the mummified ram’s heads unearthed in the temple of Ramses II at Abydos. Image: AFP
Hope to learn more about the temple
Director of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mostafa Waziri, expressed hope that the discoveries will help to learn more about the temple and life there. The cult building is said to have been erected between 2374 and 2140 BC and the Ptolemaic period (323 to 30 BC).
In addition to the animal mummies, the team also discovered remains of a sixth dynasty palace with walls about five meters thick, as well as several statues, papyrus, remains of trees, clothing and leather shoes.
The site is about 500 kilometers south of the capital Cairo, on the banks of the Nile, and was famous in ancient times for the tomb of Osiris, the god of the dead.
charge of exhibitionism
Egyptian authorities have repeatedly reported archaeological finds in the recent past. As, according to the researchers, the findings were often of little scientific importance, accusations of sensationalism were raised.
Egypt is in a serious economic crisis and is dependent on tourism. By 2028, the government intends to receive 30 million visitors a year.