Over 1,400 Mummies Found In Hidden "City Of The Dead" In Egypt

The excavation project showed that people were buried according to their class.

Archaeologists have discovered 36 tombs with 30 to 40 mummies in each one. The tombs have been found in an Egyptian city, which the scientists are comparing to the "City of the Dead". According to Science Times, the tombs were used for up to 900 years and it is believed that those who were buried there died of infectious diseases. The city where the tombs have been discovered is called Aswan, which was earlier known as Swan that translated to "market", the outlet further said.

The city of Aswan was established more than 4,500 years ago and played a crucial role in trade, quarrying and even acted as a military zone. Aswan is situated on the Nile River's east bank.

The city's population included ancient Persian, Egyptian, Roman, Greek, and subtropical Africans.

The team of archaeologists worked at the site for five years.

Patrizia Piacentini, an archaeologist from Milan, said the burial site stretches almost 270,000 feet. The Science Times report further said that it contained up to 10 terraces of ancient tombs arranged in layers on the hill near the modern Mausoleum of Aga Khan III.

The excavation project showed that people were buried according to their class. The archaeologists found that elites were positioned on the hill's top, whereas the middle class people were observed to have been buried below them.

The team said that the tombs were dated between 600 BC and 300 AD. The time period covers many important part of history, including the Persian rule, the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty and the Roman rule.

The team is hopeful to go on with their efforts to uncover the diverse population history of the city of Aswan in Egypt.