CAIRO: Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities says local archaeologists have unearthed the mummy of an unusually large animal, most likely a lion or lioness.
The ministry said on Monday the mummy was excavated in Saqqara, a town south of Cairo that was a vast necropolis in antiquity and is home to the famed Step Pyramid.
Archaeologists frequently find mummified cats but the recovery of a lion is rare. In 2004, the first lion skeleton was found, revealing the sacred status of the animal during ancient times.
The ministry says it will expand on the discovery at a press conference after running radar scans.
Egypt has stepped up promotion of its archaeological treasures in hopes of reviving a tourism sector slow to recover from the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
Egypt says it’s unearthed large animal mummy, likely a lion
Egypt says it’s unearthed large animal mummy, likely a lion
- Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities said the mummy was excavated in Saqqara, a town south of Cairo
- It is not rare to find mummified cats, but finding a lion is quite unusual
