Egypt unveils ancient treasures

SAQQARA, Egypt: Egypt on Sunday unveiled ancient treasures found at the Saqqara archaeological site near Cairo, including sarcophagi over 3,000 years old, a discovery that "rewrites history", according to famed Egyptologist Zahi Hawass.

Saqqara is a vast necropolis of the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis, a Unesco World Heritage Site home to more than a dozen pyramids, ancient monasteries, and animal burial sites.

A team headed by Hawass made the finds near the pyramid of King Teti, the first pharaoh of the Sixth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom. More than 50 wooden sarcophagi dating to the New Kingdom (16th century BC to 11th century BC) were found in a burial shaft, Hawass told AFP on Sunday.

"This discovery re-writes the history of Saqqara and more specifically the history of the New Kingdom, which began 3,000 years ago," he said. Hawass said his team had discovered a total of 22 shafts, including one containing a "soldier, with his battle axe resting beside him".