It’s been untouched for millennia, and now archaeologists are preparing to open a massive granite sarcophagus that was recently unearthed in Egypt — and scientists are not sure what lies inside.
And a layer of mortar between the lid and the tomb indicates it hasn’t been opened in 2,000 years.
The sarcophagus, which was discovered on July 1 during construction work, weighs around 30 tons, is almost two metres high and three metres in length, and is the largest of its kind to be discovered in the ancient Egyptian city of Alexandria.
An alabaster head of a man was also found and most probably belongs to the owner of the tomb, according to the Ministry of Antiquities.
The tomb is believed to be from the early Ptolemaic period, between 305 BC to 30 BC — after the death of Macedonian ruler Alexander the Great in 323 BC.
Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great, and the location and dating of the tomb around the ruler’s death has led to social media speculation the sarcophagus might belong to him.
But even if the tomb has no connection to the ruler, it is still a significant find as it is relatively rare to find an unopened sarcophagus in Alexandria, according to Smithsonian.com.
Local media reports that the large sarcophagus will need to be lifted by a tow truck and transferred to an archaeological site to be opened and examined.
If the sarcophagus is too heavy to be lifted, the area below it will be dug up and then the cover will be removed.
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