Archaeologists excavating the Theban Necropolis in Egypt have made the extraordinary discovery of nine crocodile heads placed inside two tombs belonging to high-ranking nobles.

The discovery was made by a team of archaeologists from the Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw, led by Dr Patryk Chudzik. Their research has been published in the Journal of African Archaeology . Dr Chudzik told Newsweek that the discovery was “the first of its kind”.

According to the Onet Podroze , Dr Chudzik told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that this is the first time crocodile remains have been discovered inside tombs in Egypt. Previously, archaeologists have found crocodile mummies buried inside temples.

Talking to Newsweek, he explained:

“This is a completely unusual discovery and the first of its kind in the history of research in Egypt. We know of many crocodile mummies that have been found along the Nile. They are all mummies of whole crocodiles that have been deposited in specially prepared catacombs of sacred animals, in this case, crocodiles or sacred animals of the god Sobek.”
“In our case, things are different. Firstly, only the heads and not the entire bodies of these Nile reptiles have been deposited in the tombs where we work. Secondly, they were not mummified but only wrapped in linen (there is a significant difference in this, as no preservatives were used). Finally, the remains were found in the tombs of humans, not the catacombs of sacred animals.”

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The Theban Necropolis is located on the west bank of River Nile , opposite Thebes (in Luxor) in Upper or southern Egypt. It was used for ritual burials throughout the pharaonic period, but especially under the New Kingdom from the 16th century BC to the 11th century BC.

Read more: Ancient Origins