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sandensea

(22,850 posts)
Thu Jul 12, 2018, 01:32 PM Jul 2018

Mysterious 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

32 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Mysterious black sarcophagus found in Egypt (Original Post) sandensea Jul 2018 OP
Book of the Dead zipplewrath Jul 2018 #1
Meh. sandensea Jul 2018 #2
I'll bite. Why do you hope they didn't find a copy of The Book of the Dead? Nitram Jul 2018 #20
Vague Movie Reference zipplewrath Jul 2018 #25
Also Sprack Zarathustra? 3Hotdogs Jul 2018 #3
Wow. This is so great. Hasn't even been robbed. Surely hope we get to hear more about it. Judi Lynn Jul 2018 #4
You're welcome, Judi. sandensea Jul 2018 #5
Surely hope they won't forget to tell us, and soon! What IF it could be one of those big guys? Judi Lynn Jul 2018 #13
That would indeed be big. sandensea Jul 2018 #15
Falling asleep early would be a better solution than I had, as a child, having to walk like a mummy Judi Lynn Jul 2018 #16
Interesting. sandensea Jul 2018 #17
The first time the roommate began sleepwalking in his new room would have been a little unnerving! Judi Lynn Jul 2018 #18
Had never happened to me before or since. And Louis Jourdan! Nobody did suave villains like him. sandensea Jul 2018 #19
35 BCE for Anunnaki? Luka Boyd Jul 2018 #23
I'm being facetious. sandensea Jul 2018 #24
If they find a My Little Pony mummy in there, all bets are off. LudwigPastorius Jul 2018 #6
Jimmy Hoffa? MrScorpio Jul 2018 #7
Everyone's got to be somewhere! You never know. n/t Judi Lynn Jul 2018 #14
I'm not saying it's an Alien, but......n/t MicaelS Jul 2018 #8
Anunnaki? sandensea Jul 2018 #9
How cool. Ellipsis Jul 2018 #10
Glad you enjoyed it, Ellipsis. sandensea Jul 2018 #11
I was just telling Mrs Ellipsis about it... Ellipsis Jul 2018 #12
Well I hope the enthusiasts find it educational: I'm having to deal with the HERE and NOW. YOHABLO Jul 2018 #21
Dead Egyptian Blues BluesRunTheGame Jul 2018 #22
I saw that about a week ago on tv. UN-REAL. I think it's Crutchez_CuiBono Jul 2018 #26
Excellent post. Really appreciated seeing it. n/t Judi Lynn Jul 2018 #27
ty. Crutchez_CuiBono Jul 2018 #28
Egypt sarcophagus: Mystery black tomb opened in Alexandria Judi Lynn Jul 2018 #29
Ah! Thanks for the update, Judi. sandensea Jul 2018 #30
Antiquities Ministry brings researcher to check on Alexandria sarcophagus remains Judi Lynn Jul 2018 #31
Egyptian Authorities Open Sealed Ptolemaic-Era Sarcophagus Judi Lynn Jul 2018 #32

Nitram

(24,614 posts)
20. I'll bite. Why do you hope they didn't find a copy of The Book of the Dead?
Sun Jul 15, 2018, 02:35 PM
Jul 2018

It's just a guide for the soul on its journey through the underworld.

zipplewrath

(16,692 posts)
25. Vague Movie Reference
Tue Jul 17, 2018, 11:33 AM
Jul 2018

One of the Mummy series. Book of the dead opens a can of worms. Hilarity ensues.

Judi Lynn

(162,406 posts)
4. Wow. This is so great. Hasn't even been robbed. Surely hope we get to hear more about it.
Thu Jul 12, 2018, 11:27 PM
Jul 2018

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)
5. You're welcome, Judi.
Fri Jul 13, 2018, 12:37 AM
Jul 2018

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)
13. Surely hope they won't forget to tell us, and soon! What IF it could be one of those big guys?
Sat Jul 14, 2018, 01:14 AM
Jul 2018

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)
15. That would indeed be big.
Sat Jul 14, 2018, 01:34 AM
Jul 2018

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)
16. Falling asleep early would be a better solution than I had, as a child, having to walk like a mummy
Sat Jul 14, 2018, 05:08 PM
Jul 2018

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)
17. Interesting.
Sat Jul 14, 2018, 05:47 PM
Jul 2018

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)
18. The first time the roommate began sleepwalking in his new room would have been a little unnerving!
Sat Jul 14, 2018, 07:09 PM
Jul 2018

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)
19. Had never happened to me before or since. And Louis Jourdan! Nobody did suave villains like him.
Sat Jul 14, 2018, 07:33 PM
Jul 2018

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.

sandensea

(22,850 posts)
11. Glad you enjoyed it, Ellipsis.
Fri Jul 13, 2018, 11:41 PM
Jul 2018

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)
12. I was just telling Mrs Ellipsis about it...
Fri Jul 13, 2018, 11:56 PM
Jul 2018

If I'd guess there's another sarcophagus nested inside... I'm bookmarking this one.

Thanks again and a good night to you.

Crutchez_CuiBono

(7,725 posts)
26. I saw that about a week ago on tv. UN-REAL. I think it's
Tue Jul 17, 2018, 11:38 AM
Jul 2018

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)
29. Egypt sarcophagus: Mystery black tomb opened in Alexandria
Thu Jul 19, 2018, 03:06 PM
Jul 2018

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)
30. Ah! Thanks for the update, Judi.
Thu Jul 19, 2018, 03:34 PM
Jul 2018

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)
31. Antiquities Ministry brings researcher to check on Alexandria sarcophagus remains
Mon Jul 30, 2018, 12:39 AM
Jul 2018

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)
32. Egyptian Authorities Open Sealed Ptolemaic-Era Sarcophagus
Tue Jul 31, 2018, 02:30 AM
Jul 2018

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 Egypt’s 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:
“We’ve opened it and, thank God, the world has not fallen into darkness.” So that’s 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 hasn’t 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


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