Valley of mummies ..
the Second biggest Archeological Find in the 20th. Century

The seat of the ancient Egyptian civilization still teems with endless treasures and secrets that have always stunned the wortld. A few years before the end of the 20 Th. Century, a still more stunning archeological discovery was made; the second biggest since 1922 when Tut- Ank- Amun's tomb, with its breath- taking treasures, was unearthed. Later, in 1996 an archeological mission located at al- Bahariya oasis , abour 420 km away from Cairo a 6 sq.- km- plot of the largest Greco-Roman cemetry ever found in Egypt.

The cemetry, which came to be known as the Valley of Mummies, contained thousands of individual and collective tombs carved into sand stone. While similar in design , the tombs are different in size, direction of entrance and method of burial.

Secret of Embalming
The cemetry's immense size and rich contents speaks of the state of prosperity of the Oasis population that reached its zenith during the Greco-Roman era. Most striking, however, is the highly professional way the mummies were wrapped up.

Precious Stone Necklaces
A large collection of burial - related objects were also found, such as sacrificial wine earthenware pots which indicated that wine was a favourite drink for local residents. Also found were a large wine press annexed to the remains of a palace dating back to the Roman era, together with millions of earthenware containers for wine bottling. Finds included necklaces made of precious stone and earthenware and a wooden bust of god Sikhmet, in addition to large numbers of amulets designed to protect the deceased. Most important were the bronze coins that indicated the date of burial and were dated between 180 BC and 50 BC during the greco- Roman era.

God of Fun
Some of the most exquisite finds located at the Valley of Mummies were pots, with inscriptions depicting god of fun and happiness Bes as a big- headed dwarf dressed in a monkey skin. Apparently Bes played a major part for local residents and had atemple made of mud bricks with many halls , columns and chambers. Located also was the temple of Herucles the Roman hero who was raised to the rank of deity.

Burial Methods
One of the most exciting discoveries was the methods burying mummies. One was to place the mummy on stone terrace , a second aws to bury it into a wooden coffin to be covered from outside with yellow- coloured gypsum and adorned with funerary and religious decorations. A third method was to bury the mummy into an coloured earthenware coffin modelled to the body of the deceased .

According to archeologists in charge, further excavations are expected over years to come until the entire site has been unravelled. The Valley of Mummies is different from the Gorna Cemetry at Luxor in that the mummies in the former reflected indications of the social class of the deceased. Mummies of poor classes were wrapped in simple plain linen, while others had a waistcoat of cartonnage with a gilted head mask only . A third cetogory had a gilted waistcoat of cartonnage with circles of precious stones on the chest. this indicated that the latter were probably commanders of rulers or the region during the Ptolemic era.
The mummies in general reflect a high level of craftmanship as appears from the stupendous paintings on the chests of mummies and wooden coffins . Most intersting also is the discovery for the first time of a coin showing a portrait of Queen Cleopatra VII , the last of Ptolemic rulers of Egypt .