Egypt’s newly discovered tombs hold mummies, animal statues

Egyptian blue faience cat figurine dated to 1981−1802 B.C. at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Image courtesy Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication

SAQQARA, Egypt (AP) – A top Egyptian antiquities official says local archaeologists have discovered seven Pharaonic Age tombs near the capital Cairo containing dozens of cat mummies along with wooden statues depicting other animals and birds.

Mostafa Waziri told reporters Saturday that the discovery at Saqqara also includes mummies of scarabs, the first ever to be found in the area.

Of the statues found, those depicting cats were the majority, reflecting the reverence ancient Egyptians showed the felines, whose God Bastet was worshipped. Other statues depicted a lion, a cow and a falcon.

Egypt has been whipping up publicity for its new historical discoveries in the hopes of reviving a devastated tourism sector still recovering from the turmoil following a 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

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AP-WF-11-10-18 1646GMT