Ancient Egypt excavation uncovers 2,000 mummified ram heads at Abydos

At least 2,000 mummified ram heads dating from the Ptolemaic period and a palatial Old Kingdom structure have been uncovered at the temple of Ramses II in the ancient city of Abydos in southern Egypt, antiquities officials said on Saturday. SIA refers to foreign media.

Mummified ewes, dogs, wild goats, cows, gazelles and mongooses were found in the temple along with the ram heads, which are thought to be votive offerings indicating continuing reverence for Ramses II at the site about 1,000 years after his death, a statement from the tourism and antiquities ministry said.

It added that the discoveries would expand knowledge of the site over a period of more than two millennia up to the Ptolemaic period. The Ptolemaic period spanned about three centuries until the Roman conquest in 30 BCE.

Abydos, located in the Egyptian governorate of Sohag about 435 kilometers south of Cairo, is one of Egypt’s major though lesser-visited archaeological sites.

Alongside the mummified animal remains, the team uncovered a large palatial structure with walls approximately five meters thick from the Old Kingdom’s sixth dynasty, in addition to several statues, papyri, ancient tree remains, leather garments and shoes.

In 2020, other animal bone and skeleton fragments were found in this temple as well.

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