(CNN) – Archaeologists working on an Egyptian cemetery have excavated ancient mummies with golden tongues.
The team, led by Kathleen Martinez of the University of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, was working in the Taposiris Magna Temple in western Alexandria when they discovered 16 tombs dating from the Greek and Roman periods.
The archaeologists have discovered ‘remnants of gilded lorries’ – a container made of broken layers of linen or papyrus glued together – and the amulets of gold foil in the shape of a tongue held in the mouth of the mummy. ‘According to them, it is a special ritual to ensure that the dead could speak to the court of the god Osiris in the hereafter.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the finds were from the Greek and Roman periods.
From the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities / Facebook
Martinez singled out two of the mummies as the most important among the find. One wears gilded ornaments depicting Osiris, the god of the afterlife, while the other wears a crown with horns and a cobra snake on the forehead. On his chest is a gilded ornament depicting a necklace, on which hangs the head of a falcon, the symbol of the god Horus.
The discoveries were made in the Taposiris Magna Temple in western Alexandria.
From the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities / Facebook
Another important find was a funeral mask for a woman, according to Dr Khaled Abo El Hamd, director-general of the Alexandria division of the Ministry of Antiquities. He also mentions eight gold flakes depicting the leaves of a golden wreath on a funeral mask, and eight marble masks dating back to Greek and Roman periods, which “show high craftsmanship in sculpture and depiction of the characteristics of its owners” the statement said.
The Greek king Alexander the Great of Macedon conquered Egypt in 332 BC, with control that passed to the Greek Ptolemy dynasty after his death. In 30 BC they succumbed to the Romans, who ruled until about 640 AD.