Local archaeologists have found the mummy of a large animal in Egypt after an excavation near one of the country’s most famous pyramids.
The Ministry of Antiquities announced the discovery and said the animal is unusually large. The speculation is that the remains are that of a lion or a lioness.
The excavation in Saqqara, a town south of Cairo, is in an area known for being the home of the famed Step Pyramid.
Archaeologists find mummified cats quite frequently but lions are rare. The first skeleton of a lion was found in 2004 confirming the sacred status of the animals. More information will be revealed at a press conference later the ministry said after radar scans confirm the type of animal that was found.
Egypt has stepped up promotion of its archeological treasures in hopes of reviving a tourism sector slow to recover from the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.