Egypt discovers 12 Pharaonic tombs in Aswan

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities announced on Wednesday the discovery of 12 Pharaonic tombs at Gebel al-Silsila area of Upper Egypt's province of Aswan.

"The discovery was made during excavations carried out by the Swedish Lund University mission in tandem with the Ministry of Antiquities," Xinhua cited MENA news agency quoting Mahmoud Afifi, head of the Egyptian archaeological sector, as saying.

The official pointed out that the tombs belong to the Modern Dynasty covering the eras of ancient Egyptian kings Thutmose III and Amenhotep II, about 1,400 years BC.

"Remains of human skeletons and animal remnants were found inside the tombs and examining them would shed light on medical development and health care in that era," Afifi revealed, noting that caskets made of stone, clay and cartonnage were uncovered alongside amulets.

Maria Nilsson, director of Lund University's mission at Gebel al-Silsila that started in 2012, said that the initial examination of the found human remains showed that there were some people who suffered malnutrition and bone fractures over excessive physical efforts.

Earlier in November 2016, the ministry announced the discovery of a Pharaonic tomb including a coffin and a mummy at the Millions of Years Temple of King Thutmose III in Upper Egypt's ancient city of Luxor.

--IANS

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