Discovery Channel doco uncovers preserved mummy

Discovery Channel’s Expedition Unknown: Egypt Live today uncovered a meticulously preserved 2,500-year-old mummy of a high priest, live on television.

Cameras were rolling Live around the world as adventurer and host Josh Gates and Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass, explored the inner chambers of the remote burial site known as Al-Ghorifa in Middle Egypt, located approximately 265km south of Cairo.

This ancient Egyptian necropolis has long remained a mystery until now. In 1927, an antiquities inspector first discovered the sarcophagus of a high priest in this area. However, the sarcophagus was robbed and the mummy was missing.

Today the documentary opened a sealed sarcophagus, which contained an exquisitely preserved 2,500-year-old high priest, a “Great of the Five Priest of Thoth,” covered from top to bottom with gold banding and a scarab.

Two other mummies were revealed: poorly preserved mummy and a wax skull head.

https://youtu.be/L6MeJ0CsGno

“Never in my 50 years in archaeology have I experienced something on such a grand scale as this,” Dr. Hawass said. “The findings here are completely special and totally unique. This is what keeps me going. It is what keeps me feeling young and alive!”

“This has been such an amazing experience,” said Gates. “There aren’t many people who can say they’ve gone down into unexplored ancient tombs – especially with a living legend like Dr. Hawass. We were able to document spectacular artifacts and mummies and bring viewers along in real time. It was the thrill of a lifetime.”

“I could never have ever imagined what a unique journey this has been. We’ve been the first to see these amazing ancient treasures. But maybe the most impressive thing of all is how much there is left to explore. I am very happy that the program was seen by millions of people from around the world. We are sending an important message that Egypt is safe and we invite tourists to come,” said Dr. Waziri, the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt.

The second mummy was discovered inside the “Family Tomb,” the final resting place of an entire family from 2,500 years ago. The Family Tomb also included such unique objects as an ancient Egyptian board game, the remains of a family dog and four intact canopic jars used to store a mummy’s organs. While the second mummy was not a high priest or fully preserved, the objects inside the tomb and inscriptions on his sarcophagus reveal that he was a singer in the temple of an Egyptian god known as Thoth.

Besides finding the mummies at the site, Dr. Hawass revealed to Josh Gates for the very first time a mysterious wax head that they believe is the mold of “Irt Hrw,” one of the high priests. This extraordinary wax head is the exact cast of a 2,500-year-old high priest mummy – with such detailed features that he could have easily been picked out on the street from it. This moment lead to the stunning finale of the broadcast with the opening of a sealed sarcophagus, which contained an exquisitely preserved 2,500-year-old high priest, a “Great of the Five Priest of Thoth,” covered from top to bottom with gold banding and other artifacts.

A special 60min replay will air on Discovery Channel tomorrow night at 9.30pm.