Oldest Egyptian Mummy Discovered on a Gold Leaf + Photos

According to the Society Service of Saed News, citing Young Journalists Club, Egyptian archaeologists who have been excavating the Saqqara archaeological site near Cairo for years have recently made several new discoveries dating back to the Fifth and Sixth Dynasties of the Old Kingdom of Egypt—over 4,000 years ago.

One of the most significant discoveries was a rectangular limestone coffin, which, according to Dr. Zahi Hawass, head of the Egyptian excavation team at the Gisr el-Mudir site in Saqqara, weighed approximately 45 tons, with the coffin itself weighing around 5 tons.

The coffin lid was sealed with mortar and remained in its original position, untouched for more than 4,300 years. For the archaeologists, it took about two hours to open the coffin and reach its contents. Inside, they discovered the oldest non-royal mummy in Egypt. According to Hawass, this mummy is the earliest ever found wrapped in a golden sheet. Although the mummy is not a pharaoh, the elaborate preparation for the afterlife indicates that the deceased was no ordinary person. An inscription on the top of the coffin reads: “HqA-Sps” or Hekashepes.

Hawass said, “When someone’s coffin is buried 15 meters underground in this manner, it indicates that the individual was extremely important.”

Among the items displayed by Hawass and his team were 14 stone statues found in another shaft about 10 meters deep. These statues date back to the Old Kingdom—the Pyramid Age—between 2700 and 2200 BCE, and may even predate the Hekashepes mummy.

“These statues are unique,” Hawass explained. “This is the first time in the 21st century that such a number of statues have been found at Saqqara.”

He added, “This discovery provides more insight into Old Kingdom art, mummification practices, and the people who worked at the site. One of the tombs belonged to a priest responsible for the pyramid complex of King Unas, the last ruler of the Fifth Dynasty.”