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The Fag el-Gamous necropolis, which lies along the eastern edge of the Fayum depression near Seila in Egypt, dates to the time when the Roman or Byzantine Empire controlled Egypt, from the 1 st to the 7 th century AD.
Griggs explains that the interments consist of shafts hewn through limestone bedrock, ranging from 1 to 23m in depth, into which shrouded remains in wooden sarcophagi were placed. Rocks were placed over the coffins and gypsum plaster poured on top, sealing the burial in its tomb.
An analysis of the relatively few grave goods that have been uncovered have led archaeologists to conclude that the cemetery was used for ordinary citizens of low status.
“The observations that most burials do not have jewelry ᴀssociated with them, and that the artifacts are made from relatively inexpensive and commonly available materials… lead us to the conclusion that burial jewelry in the excavated portion of the cemetery had a sentimental value for the families ᴀssociated with burying the deceased, rather than religious or commercial ʋalue,” writes Griggs.
One of the more surprising discoveries at the necropolis was the discovery of a mummy belonging to a male that was over 7 feet (2 meters) tall, incredibly unusual considering the poor nutrition of the citizens buried there. Muhlestein told Live Science that the great height may be related to a medical condition that caused an excess of growth hormone, but more research is needed to confirm whether this was the case.
Another curious finding at Fag el-Gamous was a large proportion of mummies with blond and red hair, which were each clustered together in the same area. These clusters are interesting because they suggest “perhaps we have family areas or genetic groups [in certain areas], but we’re still trying to explore that,” Muhlestein said.
Despite over 30 years of research at the cemetery, archaeologists still do not know where more than a million mummies could have come from. The necropolis is fairly remote with only a small village nearby. There is a larger ancient town fairly close that was named Philadelphia after Ptolemy II Philadelphus, but it had a cemetery of its own.
“It’s hard to know where all these people were coming from,” Muhlestein told Live Science.
It is hoped that further excavations may answer some of the intriguing questions that have been raised by the million-mummy necropolis.
