(13 Dec 2004)
++daylight shots++
1. Exterior shot of excavation site at the Bahariya oasis
2. Men removing sand from hole
3. Man stepping onto ladder and climbing down into pit shored up with sandbags
4. Close-up of mummy - pulls out to wide shot and pans to show other mummies lying in a row
5. Close-up of 'face' of mummy
6. Various of dilapidated mummies
++night shots++
7. Doctor Zahi Hawass, inspecting pit, pans to entrance to tomb
8. SOUNDBITE (English): Zahi Hawass, Secretary-General, Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities:
"We are excavating in the Valley of the Golden Mummies again after three seasons. The reason why we started excavation again (is) because we are searching for tombs of the lower class. And we found many tombs of the lower class. We did X-ray for (on) over 30 mummies. We found very interesting discoveries in the X-rays, such as someone who died through a headache (meaning head injury) and this is the first time actually that you can have an idea about the religious belief of the ancient Egyptians through a large cemetery that contained 10-thousand mummies."
9. Man working by lamplight on a stone sarcophagus which has a face carved into it
10. Close-up of face carved into the sarcophagus (which covered Badi-Herkhib - member of a powerful family that governed about 2,500 years ago)
11. Wide shot of man working on sarcophagus
12. Men working in tomb, silhouetted against lamplight
13. SOUNDBITE (English): Zahi Hawass, Secretary-General, Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities:
"In our excavation in the last season, we found also about three intact tombs, completely sealed, never opened. And therefore one of them is cut in the rock about five or four metres under the ground and it has three sheer shafts - we have not opened them yet, but we expect to find more Golden Mummies."
++daylight shots++
14. Wide shot of desert and tent in background where some of the mummies are on display
15. Various of mummy case with a red cover over it and a golden face carved on the surface
16. Various shots showing skeletons and skulls which have been uncovered in the tombs and which are now on display
STORYLINE:
The tomb of a member of a powerful family that governed a vast swathe of western Egypt about 2,500 years ago has been shown to the public - along with another twelve recently discovered mummies, also from Roman times.
The mummies are among 400 to 500 located so far in what Egypt has dubbed the 'Valley of the Golden Mummies' - an area where 15-thousand are believed entombed.
The peculiar limestone sarcophagus that covered Badi-Herkhib - the elder brother of a governor of Bahariya who lived around 500 B.C. - was discovered last week, allowing archaeologists a closer look at a family that ruled this part of Egypt.
Twelve mummies from a mid-status family were also displayed in their family tomb in a different part of the burial grounds.
The mummies - most of which were in a dilapidated state - were found in three burial chambers, lying in neat rows.
They were part of a group of about 20 that were found last week, but shown for the first time on Sunday.
Greek gold coins found with the mummies are believed to have been left to bribe Charon - the ferryman of the river Styx - in the afterlife.
X-rays have been taken of over 50 mummies to allow scientists to examine the causes of death and other details.
As Secretary-General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities and Director of the Giza Pyramids Excavation, Zahi Hawass is the country's most eminent Egyptologist.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
