The collection of artifacts found near the city of Luxor just got even more impressive. (Andrea La Corte - Dreamstime.com)
A new archaeological discovery near Luxor, Egypt has revealed not one, not two, not five, but thirty sealed coffins!
So here's the real question about that sentence. What is the most exciting part?
The number of coffins?
Or the fact that they're still sealed?
Largest find in over a century
The level of detail on these sarcophagi are amazing. They're 3000 years old! (Getty Embed)
In truth, both of these details are really special. In terms of sheer numbers, this is the largest single find of human coffins in Egypt since the late 19th century. So, well over 100 years ago.
And when dealing with ancient Egyptian coffins, or sarcophagi (say sawr-CAW-fah-guy), it is extremely rare to find ones that have not been opened. This is because over the centuries, raiders and robbers have broken into tombs in search of gold, precious stones, and other valuable artifacts. These disturbances mean that finding sealed coffins is very rare.
Open air museum
Members of the public got a chance to view these coffins in an outside display. So cool! (Getty Embed)
Of course, if a find like this was going to happen anywhere, we're not surprised that it occurred near Luxor. Why?
Luxor is right next door to the ruins of Waset, also known as Thebes. Waset was a powerful city in ancient Egypt and it is a goldmine of artifacts, tombs, and monuments. Some even call it "the world's largest open air museum". And this discovery is definitely exhibit-worthy.
The 3000 year-old coffins are still vividly decorated. These colourful designs — full of pictures and writings — are very well preserved. Inside the sarcophagi were the remains of male and female priests and children. So while they weren't royalty, they were clearly people of importance in the Egyptian society of their time.
And now they're objects of importance in ours!
