Eight ancient painted mummies discovered in Egypt

One of the painted mummies and the excavation site (Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities via AP)

Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered eight limestone sarcophagi containing mummies at a site 25 miles south of Cairo.

Egypt’s Antiquities Ministry said the mummies dating to the Late Period (664-332 B.C.) are covered with a layer of painted material called cartonnage in the form of a human

In a Facebook post, Dr. Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities explained that three of the mummies are in good condition.

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The ministry said late Tuesday that the mummies were found in an area of King Amenemhat II's pyramid in the Dahshur royal necropolis. The necropolis was the burial site for courtiers and high-ranking officials.

One of the painted mummies (Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities via AP)

The area is home to what is considered to be some of the earliest pyramids, including Sneferu's Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid.

In a separate project, experts recently discovered the mummy of a woman named Pouyou or Pouya was found in a sarcophagus in Luxor. In another tomb nearby, a number of mummies were found in sarcophagi, LiveScience reports.

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Egypt continues to reveal fresh details of its rich history. Archaeologists, for example, recently uncovered a "massive" building that was once part of Egypt’s ancient capital city.

This undated photo released by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018, shows archaeologists standing near an ancient mummy which was found inside a sarcophagus in an area of King Amenemhat II's pyramid in the Dahshur royal necropolis. (Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities via AP)

In another project, archaeologists discovered a stunning sphinx statue at an ancient temple in southern Egypt.

Elsewhere, experts unlocked the secrets of a mysterious ancient ‘cursed’ black granite sarcophagus. The massive coffin, which was excavated in the city of Alexandria, was found to contain three skeletons and gold sheets with the remains.

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Experts also recently found the oldest solid cheese in the tomb of Ptahmes, mayor of the ancient city of Memphis.

This undated photo released by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018, shows an ancient mummy covered with a layer of painted cartonnage, (Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities via AP)

A mummy buried in southern Egypt more than 5,000 years ago has also revealed its grisly secrets, shedding new light on prehistoric embalming practices.

In another project, experts unearthed a 2,200-year-old gold coin depicting the ancient King Ptolemy III, an ancestor of the famed Cleopatra.

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Experts in southern Egypt recently discovered an extremely rare marble head depicting the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

In Australia, archaeologists found the tattered remains of an ancient priestess in a 2,500-year-old Egyptian coffin that was long thought to be empty.

On the other side of the world, a rare ancient artifact depicting the famous female pharaoh Hatshepsut surfaced in the U.K. Stunning new research also claims that King Tutankhamun may have been a boy soldier, challenging the theory he was a weak and sickly youth before his mysterious death at around 18 years of age.

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Experts in the U.K. also found the world’s oldest figurative tattoos on two ancient Egyptian mummies recently, one of which is the oldest tattooed female ever discovered.

Other recent finds include an ancient cemetery in Egypt with more than 40 mummies and a necklace containing a “message from the afterlife.” An ancient statue of a Nubian king with an inscription written in Egyptian hieroglyphics was also found at a Nile River temple in Sudan.

Scientists also believe that they may have found the secret of the Great Pyramid’s near-perfect alignment. Experts are also confident that they have solved the long-standing mystery of the “screaming mummy.”

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In February, archaeologists announced the discovery of a 4,400-year-old tomb near the pyramids. Late last year, archaeologists also revealed that they had uncovered the graves of four children at an ancient site in Egypt.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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