(CNN) – Archaeologists working in an Egyptian cemetery have unearthed ancient mummies with golden tongues.
The team, led by Kathleen Martinez, from the University of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, was working at the Magna Taposiris Temple in western Alexandria when they discovered 16 tombs dating from the Greek and Roman eras.
Archaeologists have discovered “remains of golden cardboard” – a box made of tightly fitted layers of linen or papyrus glued together – the ministry said, also “gold leaf amulets in the shape of a tongue that were placed in the mother’s mouth. ” This, they believe, was a special ritual to ensure that the dead could speak to the court of the god Osiris in the afterlife.
The findings were from the Greek and Roman eras, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
From the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities / Facebook
Martinez highlighted two of the mummies as the most significant among the findings. One has golden decorations that show Osiris, the god of the afterlife, while the other wears a crown decorated with horns and a snake on his forehead. On the chest is a golden decoration representing a necklace, from which hangs the head of a falcon, symbol of the god Horus.
The discoveries were made at the Taposiris Magna Temple in western Alexandria.
From the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities / Facebook
Another important discovery was a funeral mask for a woman, according to Dr. Khaled Abo El Hamd, director general of the Alexandria section of the Ministry of Antiquities. He also highlighted eight flakes of gold representing the leaves of a gold crown in a funerary mask, and eight marble masks dating from the Greek and Roman eras, which “show great skill in sculpture and representation of the characteristics of their owners”, the statement said.
Greek king Alexander the Great of Macedonia conquered Egypt in 332 BCE, passing control after his death to the Greek Ptolemy dynasty. In 30 BC, they succumbed to the Romans, who ruled until about 640 AD.