Discovery Finds 2,500-Year-Old High Priest Mummy on Live TV

Discovery lifted the lid on Egyptian history when they discovered a 2,500-year-old mummy of a high priest during a special two-hour live broadcast of Expedition Unknown.

Airing live from the remote burial site Al-Ghorifa in Middle Egypt, located approximately 165 miles south of Cairo, adventurer and avid explorer Josh Gates was joined by a team of archaeologists led by world-renowned Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass for the real-life Indiana Jones adventure.

With cameras rolling, the team explored a network of vertical shafts and underground tombs, unearthing artifacts like statues, amulets, canopic jars used to store organs, and a “mysterious wax head” before the finale event: the opening of a sealed sarcophagus.

Taking the combined effort of several people to open the sealed, intricately carved sarcophagus, a pristine, linen-wrapped mummy, a “Great of the Five Priest of Thoth,” the ancient Egyptian god of wisdom and magic, was uncovered. The mummy was covered from top to bottom with gold banding and other artifacts and dated to Ancient Egypt’s 26th dynasty.

According to Dr. Hawass, the findings “are completely special and totally unique” and were on such a “grand scale” that in his 50 years of work in the field of archeology, he has never experienced before.

“This is Discovery at its best – transporting fans into new worlds through awe-inspiring stories and immersive experiences. It doesn’t get much more immersive than this,” Nancy Daniels, chief brand officer, Discovery & Factual, said.

Viewers from 95 countries around the world witnessed the history-making event, which also saw the discovery of a female mummy and a “Family Tomb” containing the remains of a family dog, and was simulcast on Travel Channel and Science Channel.

“This has been such an amazing experience,” said Gates, following the live global broadcast. “There aren’t many people who can say they’ve gone down into unexplored ancient tombs – especially with a living legend like Dr. Hawass. We were able to document spectacular artifacts and mummies and bring viewers along in real time. It was the thrill of a lifetime.”

Speaking prior to the live broadcast, Gates had expressed his hope to PopCulture.com that the team would “find somebody really interesting in there that can tell us more about this period.”

“It doesn’t get much more real than this. We’re going to be working hand in hand with some incredible Egyptologists and we’re going to be going down into these burial shafts and chambers, hopefully,” he added. “Opening a sarcophagus on live TV, and finding hopefully all sorts of interesting relics and remains that can tell us more about the people that are buried in these tombs.”

Expedition Unknown returns to Discovery for Season 5 on Wednesday, April 10 at 9 p.m. ET.