Ancient Egyptian cemeteries unearthed

CAIRO, June 13 (UPI) -- Egypt said Sunday an Australian archeological team has unearthed two ancient Pharaonic cemeteries believed to be 5,000 years old.

Egypt's Culture Minister Farouk Hosni told a news conference in Cairo the archeologists discovered the graves in Helwan, about five miles south of Cairo. He said the graves dated to the First and Second Dynasties that ruled ancient Egypt during the Third Century BC.

Hosni said one cemetery was small and contained bodies of poor families, while the other one was larger and belonged to wealthier groups.

He said large amounts of antiquities made of brass and ceramic were found, in addition to jewelry. Officials said some bodies were buried as far as 16-feet beneath the ground.