Thousands of mummified animals discovered in the temple of Ramses II

Thousands of mummified animals discovered in the temple of Ramses II

More than 2,000 mummified rams’ heads dating from the Ptolemaic era have been discovered in the Temple of Ramses II in the ancient city of Abydos in southern Egypt, authorities said on Sunday.

Mummies of sheep, dogs, goats, cows, gazelles and mongooses were also exhumed by a team of American archaeologists from New York University on this site famous for its temples and necropolises, announced the Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism in a press release.

According to the director of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mostafa Waziri, these discoveries will make it possible to know more about the temple of Ramses II and the activities which took place there between its construction under the sixth dynasty of the Old Kingdom (between 2374 and 2140 BC) and the Ptolemaic period (323 to 30 BC).

For Professor Sameh Iskandar, head of the American mission and quoted in the same press release, these rams’ heads are “offerings”, indicating “a cult to Ramses II celebrated 1000 years after his death”.

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