Egypt mummies: New tombs found in Minya Published duration 2 February 2019

image copyright AFP

Fifty mummies dating back to the Ptolemaic era (305-30BC) have been found by Egyptian archaeologists, the antiquities ministry says.

The mummies, of which 12 were children, were found in four burial chambers 9m (30ft) deep in the Tuna El-Gebel site in Minya, south of the capital Cairo.

Some were wrapped in linen, others were in stone coffins or wooden sarcophagi.

Their identities were unknown, officials said, but they were likely to have held important positions.

image copyright Reuters image caption The Tuna El-Gebel site is in Minya, to the south of Cairo

image copyright AFP image caption Fragments of sarcophagi were on some of the mummies

image copyright AFP image caption Among the discoveries was this partially uncovered skull wrapped in linen

image copyright AFP image caption Children were among the mummies found

image copyright AFP image caption Some of the mummies were in stone coffins

image copyright AFP image caption Egypt's antiquities minister said the newly discovered tombs may have been a familial grave for a well-off middle class family