Egypt displays trove of newly discovered ancient artifacts

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt has displayed a trove of ancient artifacts recently unearthed at the famed necropolis of Saqqara near Cairo. The artifacts were showcased on Monday at the feet of the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara. Egypt’s top official with the Supreme Council of Antiquities said the find includes includes 250 painted sarcophagi with well-preserved mummies inside, as well as 150 bronze statues of ancient deities and bronze vessels used in rituals of Isis, the goddess of fertility in ancient Egyptian mythology, all from the Late Period, about 500 B.C. The artifacts will be transferred for a permanent exhibit at the new Grand Egyptian Museum, a mega project still under construction near the famed Giza Pyramids, just outside Cairo.