2,500 years ago, an army of 50,000 men left an oasis in western Egypt and were never heard from again. Now, archaeologists think they may have uncovered the missing troops, who were probably killed in a sandstorm.
…the team decided to investigate Bedouin stories about thousands of white bones that would have emerged decades ago during particular wind conditions in a nearby area. Indeed, they found a mass grave with hundreds of bleached bones and skulls. “We learned that the remains had been exposed by tomb robbers and that a beautiful sword which was found among the bones was sold to American tourists,” Castiglioni said.
And now, unless popular film and novels have lied to us all, every last one of those skeletons will struggle to its feet and–enraged at the disruption of a centuries’ long slumber–visit destruction upon archaeologist and Bedouin alike.
Vanished Persian Army Said Found in Desert, from MSNBC, via Martin Bosworth, who agrees with me about the inevitable walking skeletons. In your heart of hearts, you know we’re right.
Image courtesy Flickr user spratmackrel, via CC