French Team Unearths Pharaonic 'Sacred Lake' Stones

French archaeologists have unearthed hundreds of colored limestone blocks dating back 3,000 years and thought to have been used to build a sacred lake for the goddess Mut, the antiquities ministry said Monday.

Most of the blocks, which were unearthed in the Nile Delta town of San al-Hagar, could have belonged to King Osorkon II of the 22nd dynasty, while some bear inscriptions from his successors King Osorkon III and IV, the ministry said.

The mission has so far cleaned 120 blocks, including 78 with inscriptions.

The goddess Mut was considered a mother goddess, often depicted with a vulture headdress.