10: Mysterious Mummy The Valley of the Kings in Egypt has yet to
reveal all its secrets, and cursed relics from thousands of years ago are just the tip
of the iceberg.
Just a little while ago, a team of Egyptian archaeologists discovered 30 sealed coffins
underneath a mound of dirt.
This was behind an ancient necropolis on the banks of the Nile River.
They weren't even looking for the coffins when they found them.
It was a total accident, and it turned out to be a major discovery because the coffins
are estimated to be at least 3000 years old.
The Ministry of Antiquities described the coffins and the mysterious mummies hiding
inside of them as one of the biggest and most important discoveries in Egypt in the last
couple years.
So, who were these mummies thousands of years ago?
Archaeologists say the bodies were mostly men, though there was one woman and two children.
The men were most likely priests, probably serving at the local temples in the valley.
Unlike most coffins found in tombs, usually damaged by termites, these were completely
intact.
They also weren't pillaged by grave robbers because they were hidden underneath the sand
rather than in a proper burial tomb.
I suppose that’s lucky!
Instead of being targeted by thieves, these bodies truly did get to rest in peace, at
least until they were uncovered by these archaeologists!
After the mummies and their coffins are fully inspected by the scientists, they will be
put on display at the grand Egyptian museum in Giza.
9: Lost Golden City It seems like the legend of El Dorado isn’t
just contained to South America anymore!
There’s an Egyptian version.
That’s because in 2020, the famed Egyptologist Zahi Hawass announced the discovery of a lost
golden city near Luxor in Egypt.
The city dates back 3000 years and was forgotten beneath the desert sands until just last year
when archaeologists uncovered it by accident and began excavations.
The city, which doesn't currently have a name, goes back to the time of the pharaoh Amenhotep
III, one of the most powerful that ever ruled Egypt.
He reigned from between 1391 and 1353 BC.
After his death, the city continued being used by the pharaohs, even by the boy king
Tutankhamun.
In fact, professor of Egyptology Betsy Brian hailed the discovery as the most important
since Tutankhamun’s tomb was found by Howard Carter in 1922.
So far, excavations have revealed the ruined foundations of mud houses, valuables like
jewels and scarab beetle amulets, and a whole lot pertaining to daily Egyptian life.
Neighborhoods have been found, a bakery, an administrative district – basically, an
entire city lost to time.
Sadly, the valuables haven’t been found, at least, not yet.
They may still be out there, under the sands waiting for a lucky discoverer!
8: Land Whales You’d think whales are generally confined
to the water, right?
Think again.
Something unexpected was recently discovered in Egypt dating back much further than the
legendary pharaohs and their pyramids.
This discovery goes back 43 million years, to a time when prehistoric beasts roamed across
North Africa.
The discovery came in the form of a fossil of a whale that walked on land, uncovered
in Egypt’s Western Desert.
This mysterious creature is an ancestor of our modern whales, except it had one great
big difference: it walked on land using its four legs.
The fossil was first identified in 2008 by environmentalists.
But it wasn't examined until 2017 by proper paleontologists.
They have since named the amazing creature Phiomicetus Anubis, after the Egyptian god
of death.
The experts say the extinct whale was so fierce that it could have killed any creature that
walked in its path.
Just try to imagine a blue whale strolling across a grassy plain on its four huge legs,
several times larger than an African elephant – with a bite like a Megalodon!
As for how this huge beast turned into an ocean monster, it was through a process that
took about 10 million years.
It slowly lost its legs as it spent more time in the water, ultimately becoming a swimmer
rather than a land animal.
Lucky for our primate ancestors, or they probably would have been a small snack for a monster
that large!
7: The Mummy’s Curse One of the strangest events that ever occurred
in the history of archaeologists excavating Egyptian tombs has to be the death of George
Herbert.
He was the one who financed Howard Carter’s expedition to find the tomb of Tutankhamun
in 1922.
Just months after the discovery of the tomb, George became suddenly ill and dropped dead.
At the time, there was no explanation for his death, other than that he had become the
victim of the mummy’s curse, which was unleashed after the boy pharaoh was removed from his
sacred burial place.
To understand what happened a bit better, we need to take a look at Egypt even before
the young pharaoh was found.
Even during the days of the Romans and Greeks, Egyptian tombs were associated with curses
and magic.
Even thousands of years ago during the Roman Empire, Egypt was seen as a land of mystery.
It was believed that when somebody interfered with the final resting place of the dead,
horrible tragedies would befall them.
Even Napoleon was warned not to remove mummies, lest he be cursed.
In 1922, there was still a healthy fear of curses in Egypt.
The locals warned Howard Carter and the other people involved in his expedition that if
they removed the body of King Tutankhamun, who died 3000 years ago, they would be in
serious trouble.
Well, George Herbert didn’t care about their superstitious claims.
He told his crew to take the mummy out of its tomb, and he paid the ultimate price.
Do you think George Herbert died because of the mummy’s curse?
Or was it just a coincidence caused by malaria or some other strange disease?
Let me know your theories in the comments and don't forget to hit that subscribe button
if you haven't already.
6: Alexander the Great After nine long months of digging inside an
ancient residential zone in the city of Alexandria, archaeologists finally uncovered an amazing
statue of Alexander the Great.
As you may already know, Alexander the Great arrived in Egypt in the year 332 BC, after
his astounding defeat of his adversary, the Persian emperor Darius.
Alexander would leave a piece of himself behind in the country by naming the city of Alexandria
after himself.
The city went on to become one of the greatest in the ancient world and a true landmark in
the history of humanity.
It's no huge surprise that the statue was here, but archaeologists were honestly shocked
that it survived in such great condition and for so many years.
The statue was found in an old neighborhood that had been buried by time, with archaeologists
uncovering old roads, a sanitation network, and the ruins of some old houses.
But perhaps even more exciting than the old statue is the renewed interest in finding
Alexander the Great’s gravesite.
His burial, in what will probably be an amazing and fascinating tomb that will likely contain
priceless riches, has never been found but is rumored to be in Alexandria.
Finding the statue has brought the experts one step closer to tracking down the legendary
figure’s grave.
5: Shrew Mummies Researchers have been drawn to the burial
grounds at Quesna in Egypt for decades, as it’s a hotspot for great archaeological
discoveries.
But at the Falcon Necropolis, the remains archaeologists have found aren't all human.
This mysterious burial ground is mostly filled with the mummified remnants of animals, specifically
falcons and shrews.
These creatures were turned into mummies over 2000 years ago as part of religious ceremonies.
They were probably sacrificed to appease the ancient gods of the old Egyptian religion.
According to Neal Woodman, a scientist with the United States Geological Survey, many
of the mummified critters at the necropolis don't even live in Egypt anymore.
They've either left the area or have gone extinct altogether.
For example, Woodman recently came across a mummified shrew known only for living in
wetlands.
The suggestion is that 2000 years ago, Egypt's climate was damper and the land itself looked
quite different from the way it does today.
4: Underwater Fruit Baskets Sometimes it’s the mundane, everyday things
that show the most incredible facts about daily life in ancient society.
That’s certainly the case with this collection of fruit baskets from the 4th century BC that
were found submerged off the coast of Egypt.
They were uncovered in the ancient city of Thonis-Heracleion, which is currently underneath
several feet of water off the coast of Alexandria.
The city was destroyed by a devastating tsunami in the 2nd century, literally wiped off the
map.
A great temple dedicated to Cleopatra crumbled into the waves, as well as the rest of what
was once the most prosperous port city in the area.
And while archaeologists have found all kinds of fascinating relics here, from ancient stone
statues to shipwrecks, the baskets of fruit were something of a surprise.
The fruit baskets were untouched ever since the city sank, even before the days of Alexander
the Great.
The fruit was stored in wicker baskets, probably in preparation to be sold in the market.
Unfortunately for the people selling the fruit, that market ended up underwater before they
could ever make their money.
As for what type of fruit was in the baskets, it's called doum, and it comes from the African
palm tree.
3: Ancient Brewery Archaeologists working in Egypt recently discovered
something fans of beer will really enjoy.
They found a mass production brewery that may have been the first of its kind ever built.
It's over 5000 years old and was used to brew massive quantities of the frothy goodness
so many people enjoy today.
The ancient brewery was found near the Temple of the King Narmer, in Abydos.
According to the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, it’s larger and more organized than any
brewery found to date from that period.
What's really funny is that British archaeologists actually came across the site over 100 years
ago but were never able to figure out what it was used for.
The site was then forgotten until rediscovered in 2018.
As for how much beer was brewed here, the experts are certain the Egyptians could have
made over 5,000 gallons (20,000 liters) per batch.
And this was back in 3100 BC!
As it turns out, humans have thirsted for beer for about as long as they've been building
houses.
2: Pet Cemetery It’s not just you.
People have been burying their four-legged companions for millennia.
That’s been proven now that the oldest pet cemetery in the world was recently discovered
in Egypt, containing the bodies of some rather strange animal friends.
The burial ground is 2000 years old and filled with beloved family pets.
The archaeologists investigating the cemetery uncovered the remains of animals such as cats,
monkeys, and even pigs.
But what's really fascinating is that the animals were discovered still wearing expensive
pieces of jewelry fashioned from shell, glass, and beads of stone.
How do archaeologists know these animals were pets and not used for ritual sacrifice?
It's because the creatures in the cemetery showed signs that they had been cared for
by humans.
Many of the animals were old, some were sick, and some even suffered from deformities.
They were also buried very carefully, usually wrapped in a blanket and put in a sleeping
position.
In one case, a monkey was even buried alongside three kittens, wrapped in a grass blanket,
and given funerary goods such as ocean shells.
It’s a heartwarming reminder that people and animals have been friends for as long
as they have coexisted!
1: Pharaoh’s Stone Slab A farmer in Egypt in June of 2021 was shocked
when he uncovered a stone slab left behind by an Egyptian pharaoh 2600 years ago.
The farmer lives near the small city of Ismailia, and he made the discovery while prepping his
land for cultivation.
It was literally in the middle of his field, hidden under just a few inches (10cm) of dirt.
The stone slab was in almost perfect condition when he found it, with 15 lines of clearly
written hieroglyphics.
Luckily, the farmer informed the local antiquities police about the discovery, and they were
able to send skilled Egyptologists to investigate.
The hieroglyphics on the stone are still being decoded, though the experts say it was likely
erected by the pharaoh Apries.
He ruled from between 589 BC to 570 BC.
Pharaohs would often erect stone slabs such as this one when they wanted to proclaim something
to the people.
It was kind of like a public notice from the government.
However, the discovery is so new that we still don't know what it says!
We’ll just have to wait a little bit longer before the hieroglyphics have been properly
deciphered.
What’s your favorite Egyptian discovery?
And do you think they’ll make any more incredible finds in the future?
Let me know what you think in the comments and thanks for watching.
Be sure to hit subscribe and come back for more awesome videos soon!