A collection of animal mummies has been put on display for the first time after they were found in a famous pyramid in Egypt.
The collection, believed to date from around 664 to 332 BC, includes a pride of lions, several crocodiles, birds and cats.
All of these animal mummies are displayed at the exhibition located at the “Step Pyramid of Djoser” in Saqqara (south of Cairo), close to where archaeologists found them.
The Step Pyramid is one of at least 11 pyramids in the Saqqara highlands and the tombs all date back to the First Dynasty (c. 2920 to 2770 BC).
Dr. Mostafa Wazeri, Secretary General of the Egyptian Society of Advanced Antiquities, said the lion mummy was the most adorable surprise.
Cat mummies are common but lion mummies – considered very sacred in ancient times – are very rare. It was not until 2004 that archaeologists found the first lion skeleton in the Saqqara plateau.
Among the latest artifacts found are wooden and bronze cat statues, especially a jeweled scarf described as the world’s largest.
Minister Khaled el Anany (Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities) said: “We are finding hundreds of artifacts here. All of them are extremely interesting, helping us better understand the history of this land.”
The Egyptian government has announced many similar findings in recent years to revive a tourism industry that suffered a sharp decline after the 2011 coup.
