The Identity of This Remarkably Well-Preserved                  Egyptian Mummy Remains a Mystery

This well-preserved mummy, wrapped in linen bandages, was found inside a sandstone sarcophagus in a 2,500-year-old tomb at Aswan, in southern Egypt. The identity of the mummy is unclear.
Credit: Photo courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities

Archaeologists have discovered several ancient Egyptian mummies — including the remains of a remarkably well-preserved individual — in a tomb along the west bank of the Nile River, the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities said in a statement released today (Sept. 18).

The 2,500-year-old tomb — located in Aswan, in southern Egypt — was likely used as a communal burial, Abdel Moneim Saeed, director of Aswan and Nubia antiquities at the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, said in the statement.

Among the mummies discovered in this communal burial is one remarkably well-preserved individual, wrapped in linen bandages, that archaeologists found in a sandstone sarcophagus. There is no writing on the sarcophagus, and the identity of the well-preserved mummy is not yet certain, the ministry said. Research is underway to learn more about it. [Peaceful Funerary Garden Honored Egypt's Dead (Photos)]