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The Golden Mummies
"A necropolis containing 200 well preserved mummies and richly covered in gold was discovered in the Bahariyya Oasis in the Egyptian Western Desert", announced the President of of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), Mr. Gaballah Ali Gaballah (1999).
"The necropolis, which dates from the Greco-Roman era (330 B.C. - 400 A.D. ), is comprised of four tombs each containing 50 mummies found piled one on top of the other", Mr. Gaballah stated. He continued, "The gold covering the mummies and the care taken in their embalming prove that they were from the rich dignitaries and governors." "The mummies were presented differently", indicated the Director of Antiquities of Cairo and Giza, Mr. Zahi Hawass, who also directed the excavation. "Some (of the mummies) were wearing golden masks with superb artistic designs of ancient Egyptian deities on their chest. Others were coated in paster or covered with linen but without designs, while certain mummies were placed in terracotta sarcophagi with the form of a human head", explained Mr. Hawass.
The excavation which was led for four years by an Egyptian archaelogical mission from the SCA in the village of Bawati (400 km to the south-west of Cairo), in Bahariyya Oasis, revealed the "extreme importance" 
of the discovery. "The mission will continue its excavations for many years in order to be able to exhume the rest of the mummies from the necropolis whose total number is estimated at 10,000", affirmed Mr. Hawass, according to whom the necropolis stretches over 6 kilometers. "It's the first time that a necropolis containing a number of such important mummies has been unearthed. That's why we have called it the Valley of Mummies; in keeping with the Valley of the Kings and Queens located in Upper Egypt", added Mr. Hawass.
A wine press was also discovered. During the Greco-Roman era, Bahariyya Oasis was known worldwide for the production of wine. The excavations also revealed terracotta pots representing Bes, a deity characterized as a dwarf, who was supposed to ward off evil spirits and who also amused worshippers with his grimaces and dances. Some statuettes of mourners, who followed behind funeral processions, some amulettes, and game pieces to entertain the deceased in the afterlife were also among the objects discovered in the necropolis. According to Mr. Hawass, the scientific studies done on one of the mummies revealed that she was a 50 year old Egyptian woman and hadn't suffered from any diseases. He also indicated that the next mummy to be displayed for the public will be the mummy of a child.