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archeologist in Egypt have discovered 13 ancientmummieswith gold tongues and nails in a cemetery at the site of Oxyrhynchus .
The team made the finds when they dug down to the bottom of a sepulture dick , break a hall with three chambers that hold dozens of mummies . The human being stay date to the Ptolemaic time period ( circa 304 to 30 B.C. ) , a time when a dynasty descended from one ofAlexander the Great ’s superior general ruled Egypt , according to twostatementsreleasedby the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities .
Some of the newfound gold tongues and gold nails that were found at Oxyrhynchus, Egypt.
Archaeologists hadpreviously unearthed16 gold tongues at Oxyrhynchus . Theancient Egyptiansput gold tongues in mummy with the intent of helping the at rest speak in the afterlife , and because they believed that atomic number 79 was " the form of the gods,“Esther Pons MelladoandMaite Mascort , co - directors of the Spanish - Egyptian archaeological missionary station at Oxyrhynchus , told Live Science sooner this year . The same squad made the fresh finds .
" The telephone number of aureate tongues here is eminent , which is interesting,“Salima Ikram , an Egyptology professor at the American University in Cairo who was not involved with the late excavation , enjoin Live Science in an email . " Possibly the bodies belong to higher elite that were associated with the synagogue and animal cult that proliferate in the area , " Ikram say , noting it ’s potential that gold tongues " might have been the vogue for the embalming house in the area . "
touch : Gold tongues found in 2,000 - year - onetime mummies in Egypt
One of the newfound gold tongues.
During the latest excavation , the archaeologist also found 29 amulets with the mummies . Some amulets are in the contour of scarab beetles , as the ancient Egyptians associated scarabs with the movement of the sun across the sky . Other amulets are in the shape of Egyptian deities , including Horus , Thoth and Isis . Some of them have cast that combine multiple deities together .
The excavation also revealed wall paintings , include one that render a grave proprietor named " Wen - Nefer , " who is shown being accompanied by several Egyptian god . Another painting on the ceiling depict thesky goddess Nutsurrounded by the star . There is also a painting of a sauceboat that has multiple deities depicted on it .
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" As for the paintings , the quality is really excellent and the freshness of colors is simply amazing,“Francesco Tiradritti , an Egyptologist at D’Annunzio University of Chieti - Pescara in Italy who was not take in the dig , differentiate Live Science in an email .
Live Science contacted the investigator who are excavating at Oxyrhynchus but has not hear back at time of issue .
