Ancient Egyptian cache of mummification supplies unearthed

The site of Abusir in Egypt contains a cache of equipment used to embalm ancient Egyptian mummies.

A team of Egyptian and Czech Egyptologists discovered the location of several ancient Egyptian tombs. The necropolis of Abusir is just 15 miles south of Cairo.

A team of experts is being assembled to figure out what the ancient Egyptians used the large pottery storage vessels for and how they were used in the mummification process.

Researchers say that theetus inside the Egyptian mummy was picked like an egg.

The canopic jars that normally held the organs of the dead were found in the cache. It is not clear who the man is or why he wrote on the jars.

It is possible that these were symbolic jars used during the mummification ritual to represent the four sons of Horus. The four sons of the Egyptian god Horus were depicted on canopic jars with their body parts.

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Several large tombs have been found near the cache, and it is common for it to be located near large tombs. Archaeologists plan to dig for another tomb in April or May of this year.

The 6th century B.C. is when Egypt was fighting to maintain its independence from the Persian Empire, which took control of the country in 525 B.C. The site of the cemetery was designed to mimic the burial shaft inside the Step Pyramid of Djoser, which was built about 4,700 years ago. The step pyramid has amonumental shaft with a stone built tomb at its bottom, which is exactly what the shaft tombs in Abusir do.

The Czech Institute of Egyptology and the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities released statements about the discovery. There are ongoing excavations at the site.

It was originally published on Live Science.