[即时新闻]180301-Egypt archaeologists find large 'city of the dead'
Archaeologists in Egypt have found a huge cemetery under the sand south of Cairo. It is a 2,000-year-old necropolis. The word necropolis is from ancient Greek and means "city of the dead". The necropolis has thousands of artifacts, including coffins and statues. Archaeologists started digging on the site last year. They found tombs belonging to Thoth. He was the ancient god of the moon and wisdom. People believe he invented writing. Egypt's Antiquities Minister said: "We will need at least five years to work on the necropolis. This is only the beginning of a new discovery."
Mostafa Waziri, the head of the dig, said he was very excited about the site. His team has uncovered eight tombs so far. He expects many more to be found soon. The tombs contain many historic treasures. One includes more than 1,000 statues, and pottery jars with the remains of the internal organs of important ancient Egyptians. Mr Waziri also said there were 40 sarcophagi. A sarcophagus is a stone coffin. Waziri hopes the new site will help to bring more tourists to Egypt. There has been less tourism since the revolution that took place there in 2011.
