At least 2,000 mummified ram heads dating back to the Ptolemaic dynasty, as well as a lavish Old Kingdom structure, have been unearthed at the temple of Ramses II in the ancient city of Abydos in southern Egypt, Egyptian officials said Saturday. field of antiquities, reports Reuters.

Along with the ram’s heads, mummified sheep, dogs, wild goats, cows, gazelles and mongooses were also discovered, believed to be offerings that prove the continued worship of Ramses II at the site some 1,000 years after his death, the ministry said. for tourism and antiquities.

The institution also stated that the discoveries will expand the knowledge of this place for a period of more than two millennia, up to the Ptolemaic period. The kingdom of the Ptolemies existed for about three centuries before the Roman conquest in 30 BC

Abydos, a city located in Egypt’s Sohag Governorate, about 435 kilometers south of Cairo, is one of Egypt’s greatest archaeological sites, albeit a less visited one.

It was the necropolis of the royal families of early Ancient Egypt, as well as a pilgrimage center for the worship of the god Osiris.

The excavations were carried out as part of the mission of the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World of New York University.

Along with the remains of mummified animals, the research team discovered a luxurious structure with walls about five meters wide, dating to the Sixth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom, as well as other statues, papyri, fragments of ancient trees, clothing and leather shoes.

The construction could contribute to “restoring the atmosphere of the ancient landscape of Abydos before the construction of the temple dedicated to Ramses II,” Sameh Iskander, head of the mission, was quoted as saying in a ministry statement. (Agerpress)