Archeologist found a giant black sarcophagus in Egypt

Giant black sarcophagus found in Egypt dating back 2,000 years

A mysterious, black sarcophagus has been unearthed in Egypt, but experts have no idea who is buried inside. The 8.6ft long gothic-looking coffin was dug up in a dig in the city of Alexandria, on the northern coast of Egypt and is the biggest ever to be found in the city. It was found over 16ft deep in the ground and buried along side a white, alabaster, stone head - thought to be the occupant of the sarcophagus.

According to the archaeologists, the black granite sarcophagus stands at 185centimeters tall (6 feet), 265cm long (8.6 ft), and 165 cm wide (5.4 ft). The discovery has stunned the archaeologists who stumbled on the ancient find while clearing the site for a new building. Under Egyptian law all sites must be excavated before being built on. It's thought to date to the Ptolemaic period, which lasted roughly 300 years from 332-30 BCE, making it at least 2,000 years old, Sciencealert reports .

Ayman Ashmawy from the Egypt Ministry of Antiquities said an intact layer of mortar lying between the lid of the coffin and the body suggests it has never been opened since it was buried thousands of years ago. The team of experts will now work to establish exactly what's inside.