Brightly-painted mummies found in Egypt

Egyptian Archaeologists have found dozens of brightly-painted 4,000-year-old mummies in an oasis located south of the capital Cairo. According to Egypt's antiquities chief, Zahi Hawass, The linen-wrapped mummies were unearthed in a necropolis near the Ilahun pyramid in Fayoum oasis. "The mission found dozens of mummies in 53 rock-hewn tombs dating to the Middle Kingdom", Hawass told AFP. "Four of the mummies date back to the 22nd Dynasty (931 to 725 BC) and are considered some of the most beautiful mummies found," he said. The mummies are painted in bright turquoise, terracotta and gold, which were the traditional colors of ancient Egypt. Led by Abdel-Rahman El-Ayedi, the team also found a funerary chapel with an offering table, which dates back to the Middle Kingdom and was probably used until the Roman era (30 BCE to 337 CE). According to Hawass, 15 painted masks were also discovered during the excavation along with amulets and clay pots.