The golden amulets were placed in the mouths of the dead "to ensure they could speak in the afterlife," according to the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities. The search for Cleopatra, however, continues.
Archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed ancient mummies with gold foil amulets inside their mouthsImage: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities/AFP
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Excavation workers near Alexandria, in northern Egypt, have discovered 2,000-year-old mummies with golden tongues placed in their mouths, authorities said Wednesday.
"The mission discovered 16 tombs cut into the rock... in the temple of Taposiris Magna, west of Alexandria," the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities said in a statement reported by AFP. The authority said this burial technique was commonplace during both the Greek and Roman periods.
King of ancient Greece Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332 B.C.. After Alexander's death, control passed to the Greek Ptolemy dynasty but in 30 B.C. they succumbed to the Romans, who ruled for more than six centuries.
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Golden tongues
The tombs contained several mummies that were "poorly preserved" but bore "gold-leafed amulets in the shape of a tongue," the ministry's statement said. The amulets were placed in the mouths of the deceased "to ensure they could speak in the afterlife" to Osiris, the Egyptian god of death and the underworld.
Mission chief Kathleen Martinez highlighted two mummies of particular interest to the team.
One had "bandages and parts of cardboard — layers of glued, stuccoed and painted linen fabric that enveloped the mummy — decorated with gilding with the effigy of Osiris."
Despite years of research, new surprises regularly come from ancient Egyptian sites. A look at the latest, as well as some of the classics.
Image: Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images
59 sarcophagi in Saqqara
In October 2020, archaeologists discovered 59 coffins in the necropolis of Saqqara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of the Egyptian capital, Cairo. Covered in intricate designs in vibrant colors, the sarcophagi had not been opened for more than 2,500 years and were extremely well preserved, just like the mummies they contained.
Image: Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images
Wooden coffins in Luxor
A sensational find: The 30 colorful wooden coffins discovered in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor in 2019 were more than 3,000 years old. Hieroglyphic depictions of snakes, birds and lotus blossoms in black, green, red and yellow were still clearly recognizable; they are believed to have been so well preserved because there were no settlements near the site.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/K. Desouki
Tutanchamun's tomb
In 1922 in the Valley of the Kings, the British Egyptologist Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun, who ruled from 1332 to 1323 BC. The Pharaoh died at the age of 19. While most graves had been discovered by looters, this tomb was still untouched and filled with treasures. The priceless death mask and the gold-plated coffin are particularly famous.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/L. Gigerichova
The 'light bulbs' of Dendera
Reliefs in the Ancient Egyptian temple complex of Dendera show bulb-shaped objects with "wire filaments" running through them. A fringe theory sees this as evidence that ancient Egyptians possessed electrical technology — perhaps even brought by aliens. Serious Egyptologists however view the carvings as representations of mythological symbols.
Image: Harrison Neil/prisma/picture alliance
The Rosetta Stone
This stone tablet, discovered in the Nile Delta in 1799, has a text carved in Ancient Greek and one in Ancient Egyptian in two different scripts, Demotic and hieroglyphics. The inscriptions dating back to 196 BC praise the Egyptian king Ptolemy V. The Rosetta Stone famously contributed to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs in 1822.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Kalker
Nefertiti's bust
The bust of the legendary queen was created between 1353 and 1336 BC and found in 1912 during excavations made by the German Orient Society. Even though there is no inscription on the bust, its crown and similarity to other portraits allowed experts to identify it as a representation of Nefertiti. Except for one missing eye, the bust was exceptionally well preserved.
Image: Beliane
The temple of Abu Simbel
The temples at Abu Simbel were built in the 13th century BC. It was not until 1813 that the Swiss traveler Jean Louis Burckhardt discovered the Great Temple of Ramses II buried in the sand. In the 1960s, the newly created Lake Nasser threatened today's World Heritage Site. The large Ramses Temple and the smaller Hathor Temple in memory of Nefertari had to be relocated.
Image: imagebroker/picture alliance
Pyramid of Cheops
The Pyramid of Cheops, the oldest and largest of the three pyramids of Giza, was built from 2620 to 2500 BC. It was believed to have been explored from top to bottom — until a high-energy particle radiation scan in 2017 revealed a hidden cavity located above the large gallery and 30 meters (98 feet) long. Paths or tunnels do not lead into the secret chamber, and its purpose is still unclear.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/ScanPyramids Mission/M. Nelson
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The second mummy of interest contained a "crown decorated with horns and a cobra... as well as a necklace with a pendant in the form of a falcon's head", representing the god Horus, the son of Isis and Osiris, according to the team's statement.
The excavation workers also found a female burial mask, a golden diadem and eight sculpted marble masks.
The remains of a cartonnage that encased a female mummy was among the findings by the missionImage: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities/AFP
Searching for Cleopatra
The mission has been working to the west of Alexandria for a number of years, looking for the tomb of the legendary Queen Cleopatra.
Doubts remain, though, among archaeological circles about the likelihood of finding her remains there. Despite considerable primary source material documenting Cleopatra's death, burial and final days, there is rather less pointing to a possible location.
Cleopatra was the last sovereign to rule Egypt as part of the final pharaonic dynasty before the country fell to the Romans. According to Roman-era historians Suetius and Plutarch she was buried together with the ashes of Mark Anthony — with special permission from the Emperor Augustus (or Octavian as he was known at the time), who had defeated their forces and secured control of Rome after years of conflict.
