3,600-Year-Old Mummy Preserved in Wooden Tomb Unearthed in Ancient Egypt

A mummy that dates back to 1600 BC has been unearthed in the ancient city of Luxor in Egypt.

The discovery was made at the tomb of Djehuty, treasure holder for Queen Hatshepsut, at the ancient cemetery site of Dra Abul-Naga.

The 3,600-year-old mummy was found preserved in a human-shaped wooden tomb and belongs to the era of Pharaonic 17th Dynasty, Egypt's state-run Al-Ahram newspaper reported.

The mummy appears to belong to a top official as the wooden sarcophagus in which it lay buried has hieroglyphs and is decorated with inscriptions of birds' feathers, according to the Egypt's antiquities minister Mohammed Ibrahim.

Ibrahim said that the mummy was discovered by Spanish archaeologists during an excavation in collaboration with the country's Supreme Council of Antiquities.

The two-meter long and 42cm tall wooden tomb is in sound condition and still bears its original paint and writings, he said.

Archaeologists said that the sarcophagus is engraved with titles of the deceased, which they are yet to identify.

Excavation at the site had begun last month. Another wooden sarcophagus, a child's, from the 17th dynasty was discovered from the area last year. The site of Djehuty's tomb has also uncovered several artefacts from New Kingdom dynasties in the past 13 years of excavation project.

Many tombs in the region had been looted in ancient times. This mummy was preserved because the shaft leading to it was blocked with limestone, archaeologists said.

The mummy follows a recent discovery of a 4,600-year-old step pyramid in the ancient settlement of Edfu. The pyramid predates the Great Pyramid of Giza by several decades.