A massive cemetery with up to 1 million mummies has reportedly been found in Egypt, but the announcement of the discovery apparently landed a U.S. research team in hot water, and possibly even kicked off the project.
Archaeologists from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, said the bodies date from between the 1st century and 7th century A.D., when Egypt was controlled by the Roman and Byzantine empires. These mummies didn't belong to the Egyptian elite, but to the poor.
"A lot of their wealth, as little as they had, was poured into these burials," BYU Egypt Excavation Project director Kerry Muhlestein said, according to LiveScience.
So far, 1,700 mummies have been found; yet given the size of the cemetery and density of the bodies, the team believes there are many more.
“The cemetery is very large, and so far seems to maintain that kind of burial density throughout,” Muhlestein said, according to KSL.com. “Thus the math suggests that there are over a million mummies in the cemetery.”
Muhlestein recently described some of the burials at a conference in Toronto.
"We once found a male who was over 7 feet tall who was far too tall to fit into the shaft, so they bent him in half and tossed him in," Muhlestein said, according to LiveScience.
The team also found a number of child burials.
“As a father of six, each time I see one of these children I have to wonder about what that child’s family went through as they buried the child,” Muhlestein said, per KSL.com. “These children often received such delicate care. It is easy to see that a lot of love was poured into the grave with these little ones.”
The story of a million mummies, including a "giant" and mummified children, made headlines around the world. One widely circulated report in Britain's Daily Mail caught the attention of Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities, and officials there were not happy about it. According to Luxor Times, the ministry has ordered the team to stop work at the site.
“What was published in the newspaper is not true," Dr. Youssef Khalifa, head of the ancient Egypt department told the website. "There are no million mummies, a mummy definition to begin with means a complete mummified body and there is only one mummy found at the site of Fag El Gamous in 1980 which is at the Egyptian museum since then."
Khalifa described the recent discoveries as "only poor skeletons" and plenty of bones, some wrapped in textiles.
At dispute may be the definition of the word "mummy," as even Muhlestein admitted that these were not what many think of when they imagine mummies.
"I don't think you would term what happens to these burials as true mummification," Muhlestein told LiveScience. "If we want to use the term loosely, then they were mummified."
Muhlestein told Luxor Times he thinks there's been a misunderstanding.
"I would like to work this out with the Ministry, for whom I have the greatest respect," Muhlestein said. His department also appears to have shut down its Facebook page, which had been filled with information and photos about the site.
The ministry, however, appears to be digging in.
“What was published was clearly stating wrong information and I think the Permanent Committee will also approve our department’s decision to stop the mission," Khalifa was quoted as saying.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.