Published: 05:00 BST, 18 August 2026 | Updated: 05:18 BST, 18 August 2026
Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of 16 people and a mummified dog crammed into an ancient Egyptian tomb.
The extraordinary burial chamber in the Theban Necropolis, opposite the modern city of Luxor, was repeatedly reused by mourners for more than 700 years.
Researchers found bodies stacked on top of one another, with later burials carefully squeezed into whatever space remained between those who had died centuries earlier.
Among the most bizarre discoveries was a mummified dog placed directly on top of the remains of a man and woman.
The researchers say the unusual arrangement may indicate the animal had a special relationship with the pair – or could even have been intended as a guide to the afterlife.
'We found a total of 16 mummified human individuals, a mummified dog, and a disturbed deposit containing the remains of at least four individuals,' first author Dr Jared Carballo-Pérez, a researcher at the University of La Laguna, in Spain, said.
'The detailed study of the bodies indicates neither chaotic accumulation nor a loss of the original ritual over time.
'Rather, there was a spatial logic in which each new deposition was adapted to the presence of previous bodies – a kind of funerary memory in the processes of reuse.'
Mummified individuals from Side Chamber 3 of Theban Tomb 209, showing variation in body orientation and arm position. The burial chamber was used by mourners for more than 700 years
Among the most bizarre discoveries was a mummified dog (M9) placed directly on top of the remains of a man (M7) and woman (M6)
For the study, the team examined a chamber in tomb TT 209 – just one of hundreds of burial sites at the Necropolis.
They excavated the chamber, photographed the mummies and produced sketches and descriptions of their position and orientation.
For the earliest deposits, which dated back 2,500 years, the researchers found relatively separated burials where bodies were placed in coffins.
'The earliest individuals buried here appear to have been of high social standing, as they were interred in coffins, with funerary nets and amulets, and with an assemblage containing costly items,' senior author Dr Molinero Polo said.
