The discovery of a 2-square-mile
tomb-filled cemetery (the area is now referred to as the Valley
of the Golden Mummies) holding perhaps up to 10,000 mummies near
Bawiti, a town in the Bahariya Oasis about 230 miles southwest
of Cairo, was announced in June 1999. So far archaeologists have
uncovered 105 mummies (about 6 percent of the total cemetery,
they estimate). The cemetery is not filled with graves but with
106 tombs, carved from sandstone below the desert surface.
Archaeologists discovered the
cemetery about 6 years ago when a donkey sank through the sand
and stuck one of its legs through the roof of one of the tombs
(the tomb's stone ceiling had collapsed, as had others, leaving
slight depressions in the sand). The chunks of ruined ceiling
had to be cleared, though, before a tomb could be excavated.
Dating from the Roman period (from
about 322 B.C. to 300 A.D.), the cemetery contains the remains
of many wealthy people and even some rulers. But ordinary people
are also buried there. All of the mummies seem to be buried in
family groups (at least by judging from the discoveries in the
first four tombs). During the Roman period, Bahariya had a
population of about 30,000 people who were Romanized Egyptians;
the area was a source of wine production then (from dates and
grapes). Today the Bahariya Oasis has a population of almost
half a million people.
Although newspapers initially
reported that plans were under way to open at least a few of the
four excavated tombs to the public, Zahi Hawass, the director of
antiquities at the Giza pyramids, countered that idea originally
when he said, "The mummies will stay at the site and will
not be shown to the public in order to preserve them as much as
possible. They will be available only to experts studying the
necropolis [that is, the cemetery]." Recent reports,
however, reflect that the Egyptian authorities have changed
their minds (see above).
Sources:
BBC News Online 6/12/99;
Reuters, 6/12/99; Associated Press, 6/12/99; Agence France-Presse,
6/18/99; Los Angeles Times 8/15/99; New York Times
8/24/99; Archaeology September/October 1999; MSNBC,
5/25/00; Independent On-Line, 3/21/01; News from the Pyramids,
3/01
|
Latest
news about the Golden Mummies
|
20
More Mummies Found (12/04): A
group of Egyptian archaeologists found an additional group of 20
gold-coated mummies in the Valley of the Golden Mummies.
This brings the number of mummies so far discovered
in the area to 234. Many more mummies are expected to be
uncovered in the ongoing excavations. It is worth pointing out,
though, that is unlikely that any of the mummies are
well-preserved. Most of the mummies found in the Valley have
poorly preserved bodies. On the other hand, their coffins and
wrappings are well-preserved.
New
Tombs of Mummies (One a Crying Boy) Found (3/01): A
new tomb containing eleven mummies has recently been found at
the Valley of the Golden Mummies, according to Zahi Hawass. The
mummies are said to belong to one family, and a wealthy one at
that; their bodies are covered with golden mummy masks that are
realistically-painted. Hawass says that these are the most
important mummies found to date at Bahariya.
One female mask had
a pink face, red lips, a long nose, and eyes highlighted with
mascara.
But the real
treasure in this tomb is the mummy of the crying boy. Zahi
Hawass, leader of the dig, announced that this was the first
time such a mummy mask had been discovered. It showed a very
young boy (around three years old) with a realistic face showing
tears. Hawass interprets this to mean that the boy's parents
(who were buried with him) died before he did.
Tombs
of Governor's Mother and Father Discovered (3/01): Last
year on FOX-TV, Zahi Hawass and Bill Pullman showed the opening
of the Mayor's sarcophagus. Now the tombs of the mayor's mother
and father may have been discovered and are in the process
of excavation. Unfortunately, the reports are contradictory at
this point. Zahi Hawass writes that the mother's tomb was
located and that the sarcophagus will be opened soon. But a few
weeks later, Independent On-Line (www.iol.co.za) announced that
the father's tomb was located. It is unclear which report
is correct--or if both are. So stay tuned.
This most recent
information points up a major problem with the ongoing work at
Bahariya: press reports do not always agree. Take, for
example, the March 2001 report issued by Zahi Hawass in which he
says that 208 mummies have been found in the Bahariya Oasis.
Around the same time, Independent On-Line reported that
over 300 mummies have been found since 1999.
First
Book on Valley of the Golden Mummies Is Published (10/00):
The
first book about the Valley of the Golden Mummies has just been
published. It contains over 300 photos, 260 in full color. It is
a spectacular book, not only for its visual look at the golden
mummies...but also for its history and the stories it tells
about a selected group of the mummies. Mummy-lovers of all ages
will be fascinated by it. For a complete review, click here.
102
More Mummies Found in the Valley of the Golden Mummies (9/00):Another
year of excavations in the Valley of the Golden Mummies has
brought word that 102 more mummies have been discovered, raising
the total to 207 mummies.
Some of
the mummies were buried in simple shafts cut into the stone.
Others were large and quite elaborate tombs, one for a rich
family that held 42 mummies. Most of the burials date from the
Roman period. However, according to Zahi Hawass who directs the
excavations, one area which contains the mummy of a powerful
governor dates to 500 B.C.
These
recent finds have come to light after Dr. Hawass's book Valley
of the Golden Mummies went to press, which means that a
second book should soon be in the works. Stay tuned for more
photos. (New York Times, 9/11/00)
FOX-TV
Show Captures Opening of Secret Tomb, More Mummies (7/00):Scientific
American's Discovering Archaeology
(July/August 2000) featured a report on FOX-TV's opening of the
tombs of the Golden Mummies (see below). Ten new photos are
included.
FOX-TV
Shows Opening of Secret Tomb, More Mummies (5/00):
Egyptologist Zahi Hawass and Actor Bill Pullman
("Independence Day") took Fox-TV viewers on a two-hour
tour of some recently excavated tombs in the Valley of the
Golden Mummies on Tuesday, May 23, 2000. Yes, it was a publicity
stunt (scheduled during the network's "May Sweeps"
week) and yes, Hawass stood to earn quite a bit of money (to pay
for continued excavation at the site), but the show provided a
fascinating first-hand glimpse at some of the newly-uncovered
mummies and tombs. It also served as a cautionary note about the
"selling-out" of a national (if not, world) treasure.
Some important news
and findings were reported:
-
In addition to
the 105 mummies (mostly from the Roman era--30 B.C. to 395
A.D.) discovered last year, another 102 mummies were found
in seven additional tombs this year. Some of the newest
discoveries come from the Greek period (332 B.C. to 30
B.C.). Also, unlike the richer Roman era mummies, the latest
mummies were from the middle and lower classes.
-
Many of the
mummies were x-rayed at the site (the first time this has
ever been done at an archaeological site in Egypt), and a
great deal of information about the mummies' ages and deaths
was discovered. Many appear to have been between 30 and 40
years old and had liver and kidney diseases. It is thought
that high iron content of the local water supply may have
caused this type of illness. More details will be
forthcoming.
-
The discovery of
a secret tomb (deep within the tomb complex and completely
sealed off from the other tombs, except for a small hole in
an exterior wall) was the promised dramatic highlight of the
show. It contained a 12-ton sarcophagus of an important (and
self-important) local mayor named Djed Khonsu Eus Ankh who
died around 500 B.C. His mummy had disintegrated because of
flooding in the tombs, but many amulets were found
inside.
But the program also
sounded some alarms. Here were Hawass and Pullman winding their
way through labyrinthine passageways to show viewers mummies
that had been buried for 2000 years and the rooms that had
entombed them. What viewers also saw was:
-
Time was clearly
of the essence. Stone coffins were hurriedly cracked open
and separated, "dramatically" revealing mummies
and Pullman's awe-filled reactions. This type of showmanship
was unnecessary--much better to show the mummies resting in
place. That was the educational part, not the fake
dramatics. At one point, Hawass and Pullman ran cavalierly
through the tombs (on their way to the mayor's secret tomb),
but their sprint seemingly endangered many of the new
discoveries. Standing on sarcophagi is not an appropriate
way to uncover the dead (If you saw the show, could you
forget actor Pullman using his booted feet to help separate
the stone sarcophagus? This wasn't a Hollywood movie!
Couldn't he have taken Archaeology 101 before he was allowed
to be part of such an experience?)
-
Finally, viewers
saw Pullman picking up amulets from the mayor's just-opened
coffin. Hadn't anyone told him not to touch anything?
(Hawass remarked that the discoveries should not be
touched--but it was too late--and Hawass touched material
all the way through the tomb, too). Bare hands could damage
the artifacts--and Pullman's removal of objects also meant
that archaeologists could not record their exact positions
when found.
Sources:
Reuters,
BBC News Online, 9/25/00; latimes.com and The Associated Press,
7/25/01; Arabia.com, 8/5/01; New York Times, 8/7/01; Manila
Bulletin (9/3/01); theaustralian.com.au (12/8/04);
personal correspondence
|
What's
special about the Valley
|
The
Valley of the Golden Mummies contains
the largest
collection of Egyptian mummies ever found (in one place). So
far, the tombs have been completely intact (no graverobbers
here). Therefore, it must be one of the most important
archaeological discoveries in Egypt's (and the world's) history.
Here is a summary of the most
important findings:
(1) Researchers believe that the
cemetery is the largest mummy-filled (and un-robbed) cemetery
in the world (considering that millions of mummies were buried
in Egypt over the course of 3,000+ years, this says
something).
(2) Four general types of mummies
have been found there.
-
1.
Mummies with golden masks. Sixty of the
105 mummies studied so far fall into this category of
wealthy individuals.
-
2.
Mummies covered with head-to-waist cartonnage.
The cartonnage was then painted with scenes involving
different gods (such as Thoth, Osiris, and Isis)
-
3.
Undecorated mummies placed in human-shaped terra cotta
coffins.
-
4.
Linen-wrapped mummies.
(3) The decorations covering the
first two types of mummies are stunning. Each of them
(Category 1 and 2) studied so far is distinctively decorated
and/or painted; no two are alike. Many of the children's
mummies are covered in a thin layer of gold. Many of the
mummies also hold a coin in their hands.
(4) The typical floor plan of a tomb
has been described in more detail. Each was entered though a
hallway, perhaps up to 8-feet long, to a
"handing-over" room where the mummy would be taken
from the living world to the world of the dead. Beyond that
was a burial chamber or two (sometimes two-stories, sometimes
just one). However, at least one tomb that is more like a
catacomb (a series of burial chambers) has been found.
(5) The amount of time needed to
complete the excavation: about ten more years. (You still have
time to become an Egyptologist and get involved with this
project!)
(6)
Perhaps the most important news
to mummy-lovers everywhere is that the Egyptian Government
announced that
in November one of
the tombs will be opened to the public, with a few of the
mummies displayed.
Sources:
BBC News
Online 6/12/99; Reuters, 6/12/99; Associated Press, 6/12/99;
Agence France-Presse, 6/18/99; Los Angeles Times 8/15/99;
New York Times 8/24/99; Archaeology September/October
1999; MSNBC, 5/25/00; Independent On-Line, 3/21/01; News from
the Pyramids, 3/01
|
Where
to find more information about them |
Books.
Zahi
Hawass's book The
Valley of the Golden Mummies, published by Abrams is
the only book that features in-depth coverage of these
mummies. A few pages on the discovery are included in Rosalie
David's Conversations
with Mummies.
Photographs
Capture Golden Mummies:
Besides the excellent photos found in the Zawass book (above),
photographs of the discoveries at the Valley of
the Golden Mummies have been published in the following
periodicals:
-
KMT,
A Modern Journal of Ancient Egypt (Winter 99/00)
-
National
Geographic (October 1999);
-
Archaeology
(September/October/99);
-
Time for Kids
(9/10/99);
-
New
York Times (8/24/99).
[NOTE: All of the above periodicals published at least one
unique photo apiece and all include color shots.]
