Ancient Egypt has many secrets to tell, and in 2022, archaeologists made some fascinating findings, including the tomb of a previously unknown queen, a falcon shrine with a cryptic message and a massive tunnel beneath a temple. Here are some of the most amazing discoveries at ancient Egyptian archaeological sites this year.
1. Lifelike mummy portraits
One of the newfound mummy portraits, seen here, is painted on a linen shroud.
While excavating a necropolis in the ancient Egyptian city of Philadelphia, archaeologists unearthed two complete mummy portraits, as well as multiple incomplete portraits of people buried in the cemetery. Researchers think the deceased were likely middle class or elite, since back then it would've been costly to commission custom paintings of their likenesses. Because of looting, it's also incredibly rare for archaeologists to find mummy portraits, with the last recorded examples discovered in the 1880s.
