When a black granite sarcophagus was found at the bottom of a pit in Alexandria, Egypt, last week, the discovery immediately prompted questions and theories ranging from the sensible to the supernatural.

Images of the 30-ton stone vessel — dating back some 2,000 years — were striking. And people were curious: Who, or what, was inside? Some suggested it could contain the remains of a nobleman, or even Alexander the Great.

Image Egyptian archaeologists displayed skulls of three decomposed mummies found inside the black granite sarcophagus. Credit... EPA, via Shutterstock

The answer was decidedly less exciting when the sarcophagus was opened on Thursday. Inside were three skeletons floating in foul-smelling sewage that had leaked into the vessel from the road above through a small crack in the sarcophagus, according to Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities.