CAIRO (AP) — Archaeologists say they have discovered a mummification workshop dating back some 2,500 years at an ancient necropolis near Egypt's famed pyramids.

Antiquities Ministry officials said at a press conference Saturday that archaeologists hope the find will reveal more about the secrets of mummification in the 26th dynasty of ancient Egypt. They said a communal burial site was also uncovered.

Officials said the discovery dates to the Saite-Persian period from 664-404 B.C. The site is located at the Saqqara cemetery, part of the Memphis necropolis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The site, which lies south of the Unas pyramid, was last excavated in 1900.