Archaeologists discovered 30 ancient sarcophagi in Egypt with perfectly preserved mummies inside. Photos show the biggest coffin find in a century.

Archaeologists unearthed 30 ancient coffins in a huge tomb in Egypt, the Egyptian government announced on Tuesday.

The wooden sarcophagi were found in the Asasif necropolis of the ancient town of West Thebes, on the west bank of the Nile. The find was "completely by accident," archaeologist Zahi Hawass told Today.

Source: Today

“It is the first large human coffin cache ever discovered since the end of the 19th century,” the Egyptian Antiquities Minister, Khaled el-Anany, said during a ceremony in Luxor on Saturday.

Source: Reuters

The coffins were stacked in two layers under the ground. They are estimated to be 3,000 years old, dating back to the 22nd dynasty of Egyptian pharaohs.

Still, their colors and inscriptions are preserved "in full," according to a translation of a press release announcing the finding.

Source: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, Reuters

Based on the engravings and inscriptions, archaeologists think the coffins were for children and priests ⁠— both men and women.

Source: Reuters

On Saturday they opened the sealed sarcophagi to reveal perfectly preserved mummies inside.

"This cache will be the most important discovery of 2019," Hawass said.

Source: Today

The coffins are part of a series of findings archaeologists have made since they began researching areas around the modern-day city of Luxor in December 2017.

Last week, the government announced the discovery of an ancient industrial district in the nearby Valley of the Monkeys, where craftsmen produced decorations for royal tombs.

Source: CNN

Archaeologists identified 30 different manufacturing workshops there, along with an ancient pottery kiln from the 18th Dynasty.

The coffins will be restored and displayed at the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is due to open near the Giza pyramids next year.

Source: Reuters

Archaeologists expect to unearth more big discoveries in the area. "Before the end of this year, I will reveal [to] the world a royal tomb," Hawass said.

Source: Today