Anthropology
Related: About this forumMysterious black sarcophagus found in Egypt
An enormous black sarcophagus has been discovered during an archaeological dig in Egypt alongside an eerie alabaster head.
The mysterious coffin is 265cm (8' 8" ) long, 185cm (6') tall, and 165cm (5' 5" ) wide, making it the largest that has ever been found in the city of Alexandria.
It was discovered by an Egyptian archaeological mission after an ancient tomb dating back to the Ptolemaic period was uncovered during a construction dig.
Made of black granite, the sarcophagus was found five metres beneath the surface of the land beneath a layer of mortar. According to Dr. Ayman Ashmawy, the thick mortar between the sarcophagus and the surface indicates it had not been opened since it was closed around 35 BCE.
The archaeologists also discovered the alabaster head of a man potentially representing the owner of the tomb.
The find is considered to be extraordinarily rare as many older tombs have been plundered by criminals and thieves over the centuries.
At: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/techandscience/mysterious-black-sarcophagus-found-in-egypt/ar-AAzWXii?li=AAgfYrC&OCID=ansmsnnews11
zipplewrath
(16,692 posts)Hope they didn't find the book of the dead with it....
sandensea
(22,850 posts)Probably just another Annunaki.
Nitram
(24,614 posts)It's just a guide for the soul on its journey through the underworld.
zipplewrath
(16,692 posts)One of the Mummy series. Book of the dead opens a can of worms. Hilarity ensues.
3Hotdogs
(13,420 posts)Judi Lynn
(162,406 posts)They are finding fascinating things so much faster now that technology is growing so much faster, by leaps and bounds now.
Some kind of preparation went into this place.
Thank you, sandensea.
sandensea
(22,850 posts)Happy you liked it.
It'll be exciting to hear of what's in the thing, once they determine that. By the size (nearly 9' long), could be what's referred to as an Anunnaki - the reputedly long-lost race of people said to typically be of unusual height. Who's to say.
Judi Lynn
(162,406 posts)That would launch us all into a whole new experience.
So many mentions in ancient sources. It would be fantastic to find identifiable remnants. There is so very LITTLE which is known, right now. So far to go, and we need to know so much more.
Gonna be keeping fingers crossed. We could use some extremely BIG news, couldn't we?
sandensea
(22,850 posts)My suspicion, though, that if it's something too interesting, they'll just never disclose it.
Or worse: just claim it was a pile of old bones and a terra cotta cat figurine - which of course it could very well be.
That said, have a great weekend Judi. I think I'll watch some Egyptian tomb movie tonight, probably fall asleep 5 minutes into it.
Judi Lynn
(162,406 posts)obsessively until I could get the image out of my mind, dragging one foot behind me, from room to room.
Fortunately, one can outgrow that.
sandensea
(22,850 posts)Though slightly different from the experience you described, I had a roommate in Michigan who sleepwalked a lot. He would sometimes end up in my bed; but it never bothered me (he was a nice guy, and it wasn't his fault besides).
I've known several women who've told me that horror films - even mild schlock - disturbs them to the point of it interfering with their sleep. This leads me to believe women tend to have this problem more so than men (correct me if I'm wrong).
Personally, I really enjoyed Brendan Fraser in The Mummy back when it came out 20 years ago. Very entertaining story line, and of course great special effects - but not too gory.
It's good to have a plot you can sink your teeth into!
Judi Lynn
(162,406 posts)Would have no idea how a conscious mind would grasp the situation and decide how to perceive, explain it to itself!
It wouldn't be something a person normally anticipates going away to school, is it?
Yikes.
Thanks for the reference to that movie, as I had wondered about it, and, considering the star, imagined he wouldn't have gone through a horror show interpretation, but never decided to go ahead and look. He's an interesting actor, and I'm going to see it next time it appears in the mix.
There's always time for a good mummy movie without a bloody mess to endure.
The scariest Dracula moment I saw was when someone inside a room saw Louie Jordan looking in the window, upside down, as he had crawled along the wall of the building outdoors.
Real scary, kids!
sandensea
(22,850 posts)Like most people, I remember him mostly for his role as the sinister yet worldly Kamal Khan in the 1983 Bond film Octopussy.
He and Roger Moore were the perfect nemeses, I felt. And as unpopular as it may be to say this, I don't think Bond has been the same since he left the franchise in 1985 with A View to a Kill - another perfect pairing with Chris Walken as the Nazi villain, Zorin.
Going back to Dracula movies, I can't claim to have watched many. But the best I've seen, in terms of sheer chills, had to be Blade, with Wesley Snipes in the title role as a modern-day vampire hunter with a secret of his own.
Fairly bloody and violent; but not over the top. Great story line, I thought; a fresh and ingenious twist on the old Dracula tale. Not for the faint of heart though.
Wesley Snipes faces off with his nemesis, the brutal Frost, in Blade. Stephen Dorff (right) was another amazing villain, particularly for someone so young at the time.
Luka Boyd
(49 posts)The article dates it as 35 BCE. That wouldnt be the right time frame would it?
sandensea
(22,850 posts)You never know though.
LudwigPastorius
(10,847 posts)MrScorpio
(73,713 posts)Judi Lynn
(162,406 posts)MicaelS
(8,747 posts)sandensea
(22,850 posts)Of course, perhaps the Anunnaki were just a race of unusually tall people.
Who knows
Ellipsis
(9,184 posts)Thank yolu for the post sandensea. You have sent my head spinning. Much fun research to do.
sandensea
(22,850 posts)I'd like to know what's in the thing, though I suspect that if it's something too interesting, they'll never disclose it.
Or worse, just claim it was a pile of old bones and pieces of a clay back scratcher - will of course it could very well be.
Ellipsis
(9,184 posts)If I'd guess there's another sarcophagus nested inside... I'm bookmarking this one.
Thanks again and a good night to you.
YOHABLO
(7,358 posts)BluesRunTheGame
(1,787 posts)Crutchez_CuiBono
(7,725 posts)The Librarian....of the Library at Alexandria. (that's a joke for any DUers that just like to argue.) I don't know enough about it to say other than the original report claimed it was 5 meters down. Imagine what we don't know about our planet bc we let politics and religion and money absolutely OCCUPY our short lives here on this the third rock from the Sun.
***Imagine allll the human history we lost when that burned down? Literally pre-history.
Judi Lynn
(162,406 posts)Crutchez_CuiBono
(7,725 posts)Judi Lynn
(162,406 posts)1 hour ago
EPA
Experts wore face masks to open the sarcophagus, which released a terrible smell
Two weeks ago, archaeologists in Egypt found a massive black granite sarcophagus in Alexandria, untouched for 2,000 years - and fleet-footed rumour quickly got to work.
Could it contain the remains of ancient Greek leader Alexander the Great, or (less appealingly) a deadly curse?
According to experts who have now unsealed it, it's a no to both.
Instead, it revealed three skeletons and red-brown sewage water, which gave off an unbearable stench.
More:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-44893804
sandensea
(22,850 posts)They must have died in battle together, and probably accomplished some impotant tactical goal, to be buried in such a structure.
You know, this is definitely worth a thread in itself - plus perhaps one on LBN.
Thanks again!
Judi Lynn
(162,406 posts)Al-Masry Al-Youm
July 29, 2018
4:45 pm
Head of Central Administration of Maintenance and Restoration at Ministry of Antiquities Ghareb Sonbol announced on Tuesday that the Ministry has brought in a specialist of human remains to conduct necessary studies on the skeletons found in the mysterious Alexandria sarcophagus, uncovered in the Sedi Gaber area.
Sonbol revealed that the study and research on the remains would start on Sunday, aiming to identify their ages, genders and historical era.
Egyptian archaeologists dashed local hopes that the newly discovered ancient sarcophagus might contain the remains of Alexander the Great, finding instead the bodies of what appeared to be a family of three.
Workers inadvertently unearthed the approximately 2,000-year-old black granite sealed sarcophagus earlier this month during the construction of an apartment building in the historic Mediterranean port city of Alexandria.
More:
https://www.egyptindependent.com/antiquities-ministry-brings-researcher-to-check-on-alexandria-sarcophagus-remains/
Judi Lynn
(162,406 posts)Rampant speculation about what was inside the black granite tomb has swirled since the relic was first discovered at a building site in Alexandria
By Jason Daley
smithsonian.com
July 5, 2018 | Updated: July 20, 2018
SMARTNEWS Keeping you current
Egyptian Authorities Open Sealed Ptolemaic-Era Sarcophagus
Rampant speculation about what was inside the black granite tomb has swirled since the relic was first discovered at a building site in Alexandria
Egypt Sarcophagus
(Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities)
By Jason Daley
SMITHSONIAN.COM
JULY 5, 2018 | UPDATED: JULY 20, 2018
10.7K750141111.3K
Update, July 20, 2018: Archaeologists appointed by Egypts Ministry of Antiquities have opened the sealed black granite sarcophagus that has had the internet abuzz since news of its discovery was announced earlier this month. Egypt Today delivered live updates on the press conference, where archaeologists announced that the Ptolemaic-era find contained three skeletons and red-brown sewage water. Addressing tabloid rumors that the sarcophagus might carry a curse, Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said:
Weve opened it and, thank God, the world has not fallen into darkness. So thats something. Read our original story on the discovery of the sarchophagus below:
A black granite sarcophagus was recently uncovered in the Sidi Gaber district of Alexandria, Egypt, reports Rob Waugh at Yahoo News UK. The most exciting part? A layer of mortar between the lid and the rest of the tomb indicates that the coffin hasnt been opened in 2,000 years, which is rare in Egypt where looters have picked through tombs and burials for millennia.
The ancient sarcophagus was found by local authorities during standard archaeological excavations conducted before the construction of a new building on Al-Karmili Street. It was found approximately 16 feet below ground. A rough alabaster bust of a man, likely a depiction of the body in the coffin, was also discovered in the tomb, which is believed to date from the era of the Ptolemies, the Greek royal family dynasty that ruled for roughly three centuries from 305 to 30 B.C.E.
According to the Ministry of Antiquities, the tomb is about 8.6 feet long and more than 5 feet wide. Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, says it is the largest sarcophagus ever excavated in the city.
Read more: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/ptolemaic-sarcophagus-discovered-alexandria-egypt-180969551/#B7WiMh2zq60m7UeJ.99