The first season of excavations in Bahariya started in 1999, by an
Egyptian team under the direction of Dr Zahi Hawass, when a total of
108 mummies were found in four tombs in the first part of the
necropolis to be investigated. Dr Hawass has stated that, "When the
first tomb was opened, the brilliance of gold shone in the sunlight
among the piles of sand". The cemetery, which is thought to cover an
area around 6km square, has been estimated by Dr Hawass to contain
more than 10,000 mummies. The Roman population of Bahariya were laid
in rows in multi-chambered family tombs, left undisturbed by robbers,
their burials still intact. Some of the mummies were encased in gilded
or painted coffins, some wore golden masks and jewellery and were
surrounded by their burial goods of wine jars, coins, pottery and
amulets for use in the afterlife.
The second season's excavations (in 2000) revealed another seven tombs
and 103 mummies. As well as the beautifully decorated masks and
coffins, wooden panels or stelae were found, some in the shape of a
temple and decorated with depictions of Osiris, Anubis and Horus,
traditional funerary deities. In the 2001 season a further three tombs
were uncovered, containing 22 mummies, bringing the total to 233
burials. The richest burial so far was discovered in Tomb 54, in which
the mummy wore a golden mask with a uraeus, the spitting cobra, a
symbol of royalty, which Dr Hawass suggests, probably indicates the
desire of the deceased to have a kingly transfiguration in the
afterlife.
There are generally four different styles of mummies found in the
necropolis. The first, for which the Valley of the Golden Mummies was
named, are those with a gilded face mask and a gilded chest-covering
decorated with deities. The second type of burial are those in
cartonnage coffins brightly painted with Egyptian funerary scenes,
while in the third type, the bodies were placed inside an undecorated
anthropoid pottery coffin. The fourth style of mummies are unique in
that they were entirely covered in simple linen wrappings, more
reminiscent of New Kingdom burials. One of the most interesting
discoveries from Bahariya is that reeds or sticks were placed along
either side of the bodies during this period, before wrapping in
linen, making the finished mummy very strong and explaining their
well-preserved condition.
The tombs themselves are unusual because they contain a large number
of burials. The bodies were placed in niches - sometimes a man and
wife and perhaps their children too would lie side by side in death,
heads towards the inside of the niche. Each tomb has a distinctive
architectural style, just as each mummy is differently decorated. Some
of the tombs consist of several rooms, sometimes with ritual
functions, and most have multiple burial chambers. One of the early
tombs excavated was reminiscent of the Graeco-Roman catacombs at Kom
el-Shuqafa in Alexandria. Another had a large shaft with niches cut
into the walls for burials. All of the tombs are undecorated.
The mummies found so far in Bahariya are already revealing a great
deal of information about the lives of the citizens of the oasis
during the Roman Period, increasing our knowledge of mummification
techniques and religious beliefs at that time as well as providing a
valuable insight into Bahariya's Roman history. It appears that the
population lived lives affluent enough for many of its members to be
able to afford extravagant burials. While six of the mummies have been
taken from their tombs so that the world can see examples of what the
necropolis contains, Dr Hawass believes that the rest should remain in
their chosen burial place. Archaeologists and conservators are now
working towards preserving the mummies in situ and restoring the tombs
with new ceilings. Their aim is to carry on excavating for one season
each year - a task which could continue for another fifty years. |
