Trove of historic Egyptian coffins and statues discovered

Archaeologists working near Cairo have discovered hundreds of ancient Egyptian coffins and bronze statues of the gods.

The find in a cemetery at Saqqara contains statues of the gods Anubis, Amun, Min, Osiris, Isis, Nefertum, Bastet, and Hathor as well as a headless statue of the architect Imhotep, who built the pyramid of Saqqara, according to Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

250 coffins, 150 bronze statues, and other objects dating from the late period, circa 500 BC. AD, the ministry said.

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They are accompanied by an instrument called the Sistrum and a collection of bronze vessels used in rituals worshiping the goddess Isis.

Painted wooden coffins were found intact in burial vaults and contained mummies, amulets and wooden boxes. Wooden statues of Nephthys and Isis from earlier periods were also found, both with gilded faces.