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Black Granite Sarcophagus Discovered in Egypt


The Caspian Hare

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This is just a confusing burial when I think about it. Put into an elaborate sarcophagus, yet put in together and not mummified. Common people who couldn't afford to be mummified were simply buried in the desert wrapped in a cloth. I think this burial was ritualistic because of something these 3 people did.

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8 hours ago, susieice said:

This is just a confusing burial when I think about it. Put into an elaborate sarcophagus, yet put in together and not mummified. Common people who couldn't afford to be mummified were simply buried in the desert wrapped in a cloth. I think this burial was ritualistic because of something these 3 people did.

There are so many more questions than answers. I would love to know how this particular find related to the other 20+ boxes. Would grave robbers take the bones and human soup from the other boxes? I don't really see that happening...I get the feeling this latest box might be unique in the contents

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I'm thinking, what if these 3 people aren't soldiers, but priests. There was a white bust found with the sarcophagus. At first, it was thought to be the tomb of a priest. 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/07/19/egypt-sarcophagus-what-they-found-massive-ancient-tomb/802720002/

I don't think this "sewerage" was something that leaked in because of the intact seal. Nothing could get in anymore than anything could evaporate out.

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35 minutes ago, susieice said:

I'm thinking, what if these 3 people aren't soldiers, but priests. There was a white bust found with the sarcophagus. At first, it was thought to be the tomb of a priest. 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/07/19/egypt-sarcophagus-what-they-found-massive-ancient-tomb/802720002/

I don't think this "sewerage" was something that leaked in because of the intact seal. Nothing could get in anymore than anything could evaporate out.

I think the sewage leaking in seems like the most likely answer.   It was 15 feet underground.   I hadn't heard that they tested the seal to make sure it was water tight.

We'll see what else they release, but those 3 could have been almost anyone.   I'm going to stick with the thought that they got caught doing something thought of as real bad. 

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9 minutes ago, Myles said:

I think the sewage leaking in seems like the most likely answer.   It was 15 feet underground.   I hadn't heard that they tested the seal to make sure it was water tight.

We'll see what else they release, but those 3 could have been almost anyone.   I'm going to stick with the thought that they got caught doing something thought of as real bad. 

This is very weird. A ritual burial in a black granite sarcophagus for 3 people who were very unceremoniously tossed in together. The Egyptians took their afterlife seriously. Has anyone ever heard of a multiple burial in one sarcophagus before? It just says to me these people did something that warranted a very harsh punishment.

With the granite being so thick, I thought it may be water tight especially because the mortar seal was intact. But after 2000 years...who knows. 

Edited by susieice
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20 minutes ago, susieice said:

This is very weird. A ritual burial in a black granite sarcophagus for 3 people who were very unceremoniously tossed in together. The Egyptians took their afterlife seriously. Has anyone ever heard of a multiple burial in one sarcophagus before? It just says to me these people did something that warranted a very harsh punishment.

With the granite being so thick, I thought it may be water tight especially because the mortar seal was intact. But after 2000 years...who knows. 

Just to throw it in there, how strongly were they against gay men?

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3 minutes ago, Myles said:

Just to throw it in there, how strongly were they against gay men?

According to one of the links I found, homosexuality wasn't considered a crime as long as both were consenting and no one was forced into it. Found this in Wiki.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_ancient_Egypt

According to this adultery was a crime. Incest and homosexuality were not.

http://anthropology.msu.edu/anp455-fs14/2014/10/23/ancient-egyptian-sexuality/

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Egypt Sarcophagus

There's some sort of a niche above the sarcophagus. I'm thinking maybe that's where the alabaster bust was found. I wonder if more excavation will be done around the area to see if there's something else down there.

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At the end of this link, click on the red word showed. Apparently, this is a video of a man pouring the red liquid from the sarcophagus into the street. 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/19/three-mummies-egyptian-black-granite-sarcophagus-alexandria

Edited by susieice
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I wonder if these soldiers stole something and got shot at, the arrowa marks make sense

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4 hours ago, susieice said:

With the granite being so thick, I thought it may be water tight especially because the mortar seal was intact. But after 2000 years...who knows. 

The weak point would be the mortar. I'm not sure how air/water tight mortar is after 2000 years. Give the "coffin" was deep underground, moisture could possibly collect and eventually seep inside the box but there is a lot of liquid in there...I still think that liquid is former human flesh dissolved naturally by the bacteria inside our bodies. 

Edit to add--

From your Guardian link:

Quote

Waziry, accompanied by a team of specialists in mummification and restoration, instead found three mummies and a red liquid he identified as sewage water, believed to have entered the sarcophagus through a crack on its right side, causing the decomposition of the mummies.

It may still be actual sewer water (gross). Either way, I'm not seeing and ornate clothing or jewelry, unless the authorities have already removed it. The mystery of why those 3 skeletons are in the box is greater than the mystery of the liquid, IMO.

Edited by Dark_Grey
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12 minutes ago, Dark_Grey said:

The weak point would be the mortar. I'm not sure how air/water tight mortar is after 2000 years. Give the "coffin" was deep underground, moisture could possibly collect and eventually seep inside the box but there is a lot of liquid in there...I still think that liquid is former human flesh dissolved naturally by the bacteria inside our bodies. 

Edit to add--

From your Guardian link:

It may still be actual sewer water (gross). Either way, I'm not seeing and ornate clothing or jewelry, unless the authorities have already removed it. The mystery of why those 3 skeletons are in the box is greater than the mystery of the liquid, IMO.

Was thinking that too Dark_Grey. There is no mention of any artifacts other than the bust. Not even weapons, if they were soldiers. Very unusual for an Egyptian burial. A tomb but no provisions for the afterlife. I hope they dig around a little to see if there's more somewhere.

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23 minutes ago, Mr.United_Nations said:

I wonder if these soldiers stole something and got shot at, the arrowa marks make sense

Maybe, but that's one helluva coffin to use for common thieves. They would more likely get a pine box. A highly polished, very skillfully crafted black granite box should be reserved for someone of high standing in the ancient world. Unless the Egyptians found these boxes and thus weren't as careful with what they were used for....

...eh, that still seems a little unlikely given the quality and rarity of the box itself.

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3 minutes ago, susieice said:

Was thinking that too Dark_Grey. There is no mention of any artifacts other than the bust. Not even weapons, if they were soldiers. Very unusual for an Egyptian burial. A tomb but no provisions for the afterlife. I hope they dig around a little to see if there's more somewhere.

I just want to know the answers! :lol: This is a great mystery, Susieice! So many questions not only about the boxes themselves but also the only known contents found in one!

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2 minutes ago, Dark_Grey said:

I just want to know the answers! :lol: This is a great mystery, Susieice! So many questions not only about the boxes themselves but also the only known contents found in one!

I know! We just have to hope the people from the Egyptian Antiquities Office release good and true information. 

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Looking for Egyptian burial practices. Even the poorest citizen was buried with something for the afterlife. It was vital! Every link mentions burial with everyday items and food no matter the social standing. It's like these 3 were sent straight to Ammit in a basket. I never heard of an Egyptian burial without any funerary goods. Maybe someone else has. The last link is Ptolemaic specific.

http://www.crystalinks.com/egyptafterlife.html

http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/pyramids/about/otheregy.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egyptian_funerary_practices

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums-static/digitalegypt/burialcustoms/ptolemaic.html

Edited by susieice
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Here's another link that's pretty good. If these 3 people were mummified, there should be amulets that wouldn't have deteriorated like the wrappings. 

https://www.ancient.eu/Egyptian_Burial/

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Maybe its an ancient murder mystery....one person died and 2 others were murdered and thrown in without anyone knowing right before internment? Just a thought... 

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http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/funerary_practices/funerary_objects.htm

From link:

Reserve heads

reserve head of nofer    Life sized sculptures of the heads on necks (but without shoulders) of noble men and women found in Old Kingdom mastabas at Giza, Abusir and Dahshur are referred to as reserve heads but could perhaps more aptly be termed magical heads.[48]

Reserve head of Nofer
Giza, 4th dynasty
Courtesy Simon Hayter [1]

    Under Snofru reserve heads carved from limestone began to replace funerary statues [51] and during the 4th and 5th dynasties,[49] above all during the reigns of Khufu and Khafre,[48] they were placed in the burial chambers of tombs and not in the serdab, where the funerary statue of the tomb owner had been erected. They were seemingly naturalistic portraits probably destined to perpetuate the features of the deceased, as did the mummy masks later on. They were possibly created with the help of plaster casts made of the face of the portrayed person.[47] 
    Much about the function of the reserve heads is still unclear. They were apparently used in ceremonies to magically cleanse the deceased from all evil; and the fact that many of them do not have any ears may be a reminder that the necropolis is a place of silence.[48] It has also been suggested that, just as grave figurines of dangerous animals were purposefully damaged to prevent them from endangering the deceased, reserve heads symbolized the decapitation of the deceased to protect the living from them.[67]

 

All they found was a bust which was made of alabaster, indicating possible high social standing. This is giving me the creeps! Were they decapitated and that's why the skulls are separated from the bodies or did they just fall off over time?

Edited by susieice
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11 hours ago, susieice said:

http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/funerary_practices/funerary_objects.htm

From link:

Reserve heads

reserve head of nofer    Life sized sculptures of the heads on necks (but without shoulders) of noble men and women found in Old Kingdom mastabas at Giza, Abusir and Dahshur are referred to as reserve heads but could perhaps more aptly be termed magical heads.[48]

Reserve head of Nofer
Giza, 4th dynasty
Courtesy Simon Hayter [1]

    Under Snofru reserve heads carved from limestone began to replace funerary statues [51] and during the 4th and 5th dynasties,[49] above all during the reigns of Khufu and Khafre,[48] they were placed in the burial chambers of tombs and not in the serdab, where the funerary statue of the tomb owner had been erected. They were seemingly naturalistic portraits probably destined to perpetuate the features of the deceased, as did the mummy masks later on. They were possibly created with the help of plaster casts made of the face of the portrayed person.[47] 
    Much about the function of the reserve heads is still unclear. They were apparently used in ceremonies to magically cleanse the deceased from all evil; and the fact that many of them do not have any ears may be a reminder that the necropolis is a place of silence.[48] It has also been suggested that, just as grave figurines of dangerous animals were purposefully damaged to prevent them from endangering the deceased, reserve heads symbolized the decapitation of the deceased to protect the living from them.[67]

 

All they found was a bust which was made of alabaster, indicating possible high social standing. This is giving me the creeps! Were they decapitated and that's why the skulls are separated from the bodies or did they just fall off over time?

Good find...

cramming three unwrapped bodies in one coffin seems so...un-Egyptian? Maybe it wasn't the Egyptians at all. Is there anything that definitely points to them or could the bodies have been dumped in there by Romans or someone later?

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2 hours ago, Dark_Grey said:

Good find...

cramming three unwrapped bodies in one coffin seems so...un-Egyptian? Maybe it wasn't the Egyptians at all. Is there anything that definitely points to them or could the bodies have been dumped in there by Romans or someone later?

From what I saw, I think they are believed to be Egyptian because of the type of sarcophagus used. Romans and Greeks didn't use ones of such size. This one was specifically thick black granite. Granite was found in quarries around Eygpt that are known, but none are around Alexandria. This stone was brought there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_quarries_of_ancient_Egypt

I found this about the Romans on quick check.  They seemed to prefer cremation. See what you think.

https://www.ancient.eu/article/96/the-roman-funeral/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_funerary_practices#Tombs

This is Greek.

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dbag/hd_dbag.htm

It's possible the bodies were wrapped and deteriorated over the years, especially with the liquid found inside. I would expect to find at least amulets or scarabs if they were. We also need to remember the Egyptian authorities said they thought these were soldiers and that one had what appears to be an arrow wound. I hope they keep digging because if this is some sort of a cemetery and not an isolated burial, there should be more in the area.

 

 

Edited by susieice
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39 minutes ago, susieice said:

From what I saw, I think they are believed to be Egyptian because of the type of sarcophagus used. Romans and Greeks didn't use ones of such size. This one was specifically thick black granite. Granite was found in quarries around Eygpt that are known, but none are around Alexandria. This stone was brought there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_quarries_of_ancient_Egypt

I found this about the Romans on quick check.  They seemed to prefer cremation. See what you think.

https://www.ancient.eu/article/96/the-roman-funeral/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_funerary_practices#Tombs

This is Greek.

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dbag/hd_dbag.htm

It's possible the bodies were wrapped and deteriorated over the years, especially with the liquid found inside. I would expect to find at least amulets or scarabs if they were. We also need to remember the Egyptian authorities said they thought these were soldiers and that one had what appears to be an arrow wound. 

I wonder how they determined these were soldiers...surely they didn't arrive at that conclusion from arrow wounds alone? I don't think the Romans actually made these boxes but they may have known about them and at some point used one as a coffin for 3 victims. So many theories, we'll just have to knock them down one at a time. 

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Just now, Dark_Grey said:

I wonder how they determined these were soldiers...surely they didn't arrive at that conclusion from arrow wounds alone? I don't think the Romans actually made these boxes but they may have known about them and at some point used one as a coffin for 3 victims. So many theories, we'll just have to knock them down one at a time. 

Sorry, I edited after you quoted me. I hope they keep digging because if this is some sort of a cemetery, there should be more graves in the area. If not, this was an isolated burial which would be even odder.

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Authorities also said this sarcophagus was found during standard excavations due to a building being planned for construction on a street in Alexandria. Sounds like it was in the city proper. May be difficult to take a look around. I hope they look into available space for digging in the immediate area. Would also be interested in knowing what, if anything, stood above this sarcophagus in Ptolemic Alexandria.

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