A Russian archaeological team has discovered a well-preserved mummy from the Greco-Roman period in a wooden coffin south of Cairo, AFP reported.
The discovery was made near New Fayoum city, about 80 kilometres south of the Egyptian capital, Egypt's Antiquities Ministry said in a statement Tuesday (November 14th).
The team "found inside the coffin a well-preserved mummy, wrapped in linen, with its face covered by a human mask with drawings in blue and gold", it said.
While mummification is mostly associated with ancient Egypt, the practice continued into the Greco-Roman era.
The Russian team made its discovery near a monastery in the village of Qalamshah.
"The expedition carried out an initial restoration of the coffin and the mummy, as the coffin was found in a bad condition," the ministry said, citing the minister's assistant Mohamed Abdel Lateef.
The statement did not say when the discovery was made.
"The cover is broken and the base has several cracks, and it does not have an inscription on it," it added, citing Abdel Lateef.
