Ancient Egyptian mummies found floating in filth

Saturday, February 7, 2015, 1:29 PM - Mummies have held the key to the secrets of ancient Egypt for thousands of years. These artifacts are often found among long forgotten tombs in the country's desert sands.

So to find not one, but two of these historical pieces in the sewage of an irrigation canal is out of the ordinary, to say the least.

Two sarcophagi were seen floating in the polluted waters of a sewer in the city of El Minya, about 200 kilometres south of Cairo.

Upon opening the outer cases, the mummies were found to be still wrapped in the traditional linen dressing.

However, once the wrappings were pulled away, the bodies had virtually disintegrated from being in the foul water for an extended period of time.

The mummies date back to the Greco-Roman era of Egyptian history, most likely between the years 332 BC and 395 AD. 

Experts were able to determine this based on the colourful drawings on each sarcophagus, which clearly depict the face of a woman.

In a statement, the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities stated their theory that the mummified bodies were likely discovered by people digging illegally in the area, and then simply discarded into a nearby waterway.

The mummies are so badly decomposed that restoration efforts may prove unsuccessful.

However, experts say that the bodies and their burial vessels will be placed in a museum regardless of their final condition following restoration attempts.