The Minister of Antiquities, Khaled El Anany, announced the discovery of a collection of 75 wooden and bronze ancient statues of cats of varied design, as well as various animal and bird mummies, in a press conference on Saturday. The collection of finds was described by El Anany as “a museum in and of itself, as hundreds of objects were unearthed here at the Bubastian necropolis in Saqqara.”

The Minister also mentioned that after CT-scans and scientific testing, the Ministry can say with 95% certainty that two of the animal mummies discovered were lion cubs which would be a major discovery, since lion mummies are an extremely rare find. El Anany mentioned that more studies will be conducted within the new few weeks to confirm their species, and to determine the sex and species of the other mummies.

Also among the discoveries was a very rare stone scarab, which Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, has dubbed “the largest in the world.”

This discovery follows a similar event at the necropolis last year, where mummified cats, scarab beetles, crocodiles and cobras, and a tomb of the Fifth Dynasty royal priest Wahtye were unearthed. El Anani stated that there is another discovery mission in the plans to take place before the end of the year.