• Email Us: [email protected]
  • Contact Us: +1 718 874 1545
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Medical Market Report

  • Home
  • All Reports
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Ancient Portraits Of Egyptian Mummies Found For First Time In Century

December 7, 2022 by Deborah Bloomfield

For the first time in over a century, archaeologists have discovered ancient mummies buried alongside painted portraits, providing an unprecedented glimpse into the lives of the ancient Egyptians. The portraits were found at the Gerza archaeological site in the ancient city of Fayum around 100 kilometers (62 miles) southwest of Cairo, as per a recent announcement from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

Excavations at the site have recently been focused on a huge funerary building from the Ptolemaic and Roman eras, dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century CE,  which was first discovered in 2016. 

Advertisement

Within this structure, they unearthed a number of human remains that have been laid to rest in a diversity of styles, from high-quality mummification to a simple burial. The team believes the type of burial likely reflects the individual’s wealth and social status.

An ancient Egyptian mummy in a painted sarcophagus

One of the mummys discovered at the excvation. Image credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

Along with the bodies, the team also excavated a rare terracotta statue of the goddess Isis-Aphrodite in one of the wooden coffins and papyrus inscriptions written in Demotic and Greek script that explains the life of those buried at the site. 

Chief among the finds are some Fayoum portraits, paintings on a wooden board that depict the deceased person. They are typically associated with high social status, generally found above the mummies of Roman Egypt’s upper social castes, such as military leaders, civil servants, and religious figures.

Advertisement

Fayoum portraits are scarcely found alongside ancient Egyptian mummies. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities explains that some of the last mummy portraits like this were discovered by British archaeologist Flinders Petrie over 115 years ago, years before Egyptologists had even excavated the tomb of Tutankhamun.

The Gerza archaeological site in the ancient city of Fayum in the Egyptian desert.

The Gerza archaeological site in the ancient city of Fayum. Image credit: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

Thanks to the dry heat of Egypt and the tightly sealed tombs, many of these portraits remain in remarkably good condition and still beam with vibrant color. Historians are particularly fond of these relics as they provide a unique insight into the hairstyles, clothes, and jewelry of the time. The recently discovered portrait, for instance, clearly shows the distinctive hairstyle of the individual, as well as their rings, bracelets, and necklaces. 

Given their naturalistic style, it’s hard to believe these paintings came from ancient Egyptians. Their style is strongly influenced by the artistic traditions of the Greco-Romans who controlled Egypt from 30 BC until 641 CE. It’s said that extremely similar portraits can be found in ancient archaeological sites in Italy, such as Pompeii. 

Deborah Bloomfield
Deborah Bloomfield

Related posts:

  1. Taliban co-founder Baradar to lead new Afghanistan govt – sources
  2. Tennis-Raducanu can become one of world’s most marketable athletes
  3. Pandemic recovery fuels deal craze as third-quarter M&A breaks all records
  4. “Loab”: Why Does AI Keep Generating Images Of This (Slightly Terrifying) Woman?

Source Link: Ancient Portraits Of Egyptian Mummies Found For First Time In Century

Filed Under: News

Primary Sidebar

  • If Birds Are Dinosaurs, Why Are None As Big As T. Rexes?
  • Psychologists Demonstrate Illusion That Could Be Screwing Up Our Perception Of Time
  • Why Are So Many Enormous Roman Shoes Being Discovered At Hadrian’s Wall?
  • Scientists Think They’ve Pinpointed Structural Differences In Psychopaths’ Brains
  • We’ve Found Our Third-Ever Interstellar Visitor, Orcas Filmed Kissing (With Tongues) In The Wild, And Much More This Week
  • The “Eyes Of Clavius” Will Be Visible On The Moon Today, Thanks To Clair-Obscur Effect
  • Shockingly High Microplastic Levels Found On Remote Mediterranean Coral Reef Island
  • Interstellar Object, Cheesy Nightmares, And Smooching Orcas
  • World’s Largest Martian Meteorite Up For Auction Could Reach Whopping $2-4 Million
  • Kimalu The Beluga Whale Undergoes Pioneering Surgery And Becomes First Beluga To Survive General Aesthetic
  • The 1986 Soviet Space Mission That’s Never Been Repeated: Mir To Salyut And Back Again
  • Grisly Incident In Yellowstone National Park Shows Just How Dangerous This Vibrant Wilderness Can Be
  • Out Of All Greenhouse Gas Emitters On Earth, One US Organization Takes The Biscuit
  • Overly Ambitious Adder Attempts To Eat Hare 10 Times Its Mass In Gnarly Video
  • How Fast Does A Spacecraft Need To Go To Escape The Solar System?
  • President Trump’s Cuts To USAID Could Result In A “Staggering” 14 Million Avoidable Deaths By 2030
  • Dzo: Hybrids Beasts That Are Perfectly Crafted For Life On Earth’s Highest Mountains
  • “Rarest Event Ever” Had A Half-Life 1 Trillion Times Longer Than The Age Of The Universe – How Did We See It?
  • Meet The Bille, A Self-Righting Tetrahedron That Nobody Was Sure Could Exist
  • Neurogenesis Confirmed: Adult Brains Really Do Make New Hippocampal Neurons
  • Business
  • Health
  • News
  • Science
  • Technology
  • +1 718 874 1545
  • +91 78878 22626
  • [email protected]
Office Address
Prudour Pvt. Ltd. 420 Lexington Avenue Suite 300 New York City, NY 10170.

Powered by Prudour Network

Copyrights © 2025 · Medical Market Report. All Rights Reserved.

Go to mobile version