Archaeologists have uncovered the sex and age of three skeletons found inside a black granite sarcophagus in Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria.
Antiques Ministry representative Nadia Kheider revealed the skeletons belong to a woman in her early 20s, a man in his late 30s and a man in his early 40s.
The 2000-year-old sarcophagus was filled with a red fluid - believed to be sewage water which seeped into the artefact through a crack, and discovered in July before becoming a global talking point.
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There was speculation the casket could be holding the remains of ancient Greek leader Alexander the Great before researchers examined the contents.
Secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri said the coffin does not have any inscriptions which would indicate the three were royalty but it is believed they were warriors, the Independent reported.
"Preliminary examination suggests the skeletons belong to three army officers, one of them his skull shows an injury of an arrow," Shaban Abd Monem, a specialist in mummies at the Ministry of Antiquities, told Luxor Times.
It is understood that the three mummies will be moved to the Alexandria National Museum and the coffin will be transferred to the Military Museum in Cairo.
Newshub.
