Archaeologists Have Discovered Full-Color Portraits of Egyptian Mummies in Ancient Philadelphia

Egyptian archaeologists have uncovered full-color portraits of mummies – the first to be found in over a century – the Egyptian government has announced.

Researchers found the two full portraits of Egyptian mummies and fragments of others at the Gerza excavation site in Fayoum, Egypt, making these artworks the first of their kind to be discovered in over 115 years.

English archaeologist Flinders Petrie was the last to find similar artwork when he discovered 146 mummy portraits at a Roman cemetery in 1911, Artnet News reports.

#Archaeologists have discovered full-color portraits of #Egyptian mummies in ancient Philadelphiahttps://t.co/KwwPqpREv4 pic.twitter.com/jiWZ66MiHV

— Business Insider India🇮🇳 (@BiIndia) December 11, 2022

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The team investigating the Gerza archaeological site in Fayoum also uncovered a funerary building, records written on papyrus, pottery, and coffins dating from the Ptolemaic period, which spans from 305 B.C. to 30 B.C., through the Roman era, which lasted from 30 B.C. to 390 A.D.

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The collection of paintings, known as the Fayoum portraits, portrays some of the wealthiest people that existed in these ancient communities. The Philadelphia settlement was home to Greeks and Egyptians over the 600-year period.

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