Image copyright EPA Image caption Experts wore face masks to open the sarcophagus, which released a terrible smell 
 
 Three weeks ago, archaeologists in Egypt found a massive black granite sarcophagus in Alexandria, untouched for 2,000 years - and fleet-footed rumour quickly got to work. 
 
 Could it contain the remains of ancient Greek leader Alexander the Great, or (less appealingly) a deadly curse? 
 
 According to experts who have now unsealed it, it's a no to both. 
 
 Instead, it revealed three skeletons and red-brown sewage water, which gave off an unbearable stench. 
 
 Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities had appointed a committee of archaeologists to open the relic, which was unearthed at a construction site. 
 
 According to Egyptian news outlet El-Watan, they initially lifted the lid of the tomb by just 5cm (2 inches) before the pungent smell forced them from the inspection scene entirely. They later prised it open with help from Egyptian military engineers. 
 
 "We found the bones of three people, in what looks like a family burial... Unfortunately the mummies inside were not in the best condition and only the bones remain," said Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. 
 
 Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption The tomb was found to contain three skeletons, believed to be those of ancient Egyptian army officers 
 
 Addressing media fears that disturbing the tomb could trigger an implacable Pharaoh's curse, Mr Waziri declared: "We've opened it and, thank God, the world has not fallen into darkness. 
 
 "I was the first to put my whole head inside the sarcophagus... and here I stand before you ... I am fine." 
 
 Despite that, the site has now been cleared of people amid fears the sarcophagus could release lethal toxic fumes, Egypt's state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram says. 
 
 Are mummies' tombs dangerous? 
 
 Scientists have debunked the infamous "Mummy's Curse", but are there other threats in ancient tombs? 
 
 Lord Carnarvon, financial backer of the excavation of Tutankhamun's burial site, died from an infected mosquito bite shortly after they opened the chamber in 1923. 
 
 Since then, rumours have swirled that mould or bacteria survived in the sealed area and caused or contributed to his fate. 
 
 But F DeWolfe Miller, professor of epidemiology at the University of Hawaii, told National Geographic that there's no real danger. 
 
 "We don't know of even a single case of either an archaeologist or a tourist experiencing any negative consequences [from bacteria or tomb moulds]," he told the magazine. 
 
 Experts have said the three individuals in the Alexandria sarcophagus may have been soldiers in the time of the Pharaohs. 
 
 The skull of one is said to show cracks which point to an arrow injury. 
 
 An alabaster bust, its features weathered beyond recognition, was also found with the tomb. 
 
 Image copyright Reuters Image caption The huge sarcophagus weighs almost 30 tonnes 
 
 The structure is almost two metres (6.5ft) high and three metres long, and is the largest of its kind ever found intact. 
 
 It weighs in at 27 tonnes (59,500lb), and is believed to date from the early Ptolemaic period, which began in 323 BC after the death of Alexander the Great. 
 
 Archaeologists will now study the sarcophagus in depth to pinpoint when its occupants lived, and how they died. ||||| Archaeologists open granite tomb but are dismayed at state of decay after ‘sewage leak’ 
 
 Egyptian archeologists have opened a 30-tonne black granite sarcophagus to find three decomposed mummies after sewage water apparently leaked inside. 
 
 “The sarcophagus has been opened, but we have not been hit by a curse,” said Mostafa Waziry, the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council for Antiquities, in response to news reports warning of maledictions hidden inside the tomb in the port city of Alexandria. 
 
 Waziry, accompanied by a team of specialists in mummification and restoration, instead found three mummies and a red liquid he identified as sewage water, believed to have entered the sarcophagus through a crack on its right side, causing the decomposition of the mummies. 
 
 Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Tomb after the lid was removed. Photograph: Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters 
 
 The tomb was found buried five metres beneath the surface and the help of Egyptian military engineers was required to open the 15-tonne lid. After capturing the world’s attention because of its unusually large size, observers believed it could contain the remains of a prominent figure, with some considering the possibility that it could contain the corpse of Alexander the Great. 
 
 Facebook Twitter Pinterest The alabaster head. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images 
 
 The sarcophagus, almost three metres across and two metres high, is believed to date from the early Ptolemaic period, which began following the death of Alexander in 323BC. 
 
 It was found during construction work in Egypt’s northernmost city, accompanied by a weathered alabaster head thought to depict one of the occupants of the tomb. Archeologists were excited because a layer of mortar beneath the lid suggested it had remained untouched since it was buried thousands of years ago. 
 
 The skulls of the three mummies found inside will now be analysed in order to identify their ages and cause of death. 
 
 Facebook Twitter Pinterest Skulls of the three decomposed mummies. Photograph: EPA 
 
 Shaaban Abdel Amonem, one of the specialists in mummification who attended the opening, said initial assessments showed the trio were probably soldiers, with one of the skulls displaying evidence of arrow blows. 
 
 Waziri said the lack of death masks in precious metals, amulets, statuettes or inscriptions on the sarcophagus meant the bodies were unlikely to be those of Ptolemaic or Roman royals. 
 
 Video footage from the news website Youm7 showed a man pouring the red liquid into the street, after samples were taken to be analysed. ||||| Image copyright MACQUARIE MEDICAL IMAGING Image caption Recent tests on the sarcophagus included CT scans 
 
 Scientists in Australia have discovered the remains of a mummy in a 2,500-year-old coffin that was previously classified as empty. 
 
 The sarcophagus had been left untouched at a university museum in Sydney for more than 150 years. 
 
 When scientists opened the coffin last year, they were surprised to find the remains of human feet and bones. 
 
 Researchers said the remains were previously damaged, probably by tomb raiders. 
 
 Archaeologist Dr Jamie Fraser said the discovery, only now made public, had been a remarkable moment. 
 
 "It was just unbelievably astonishing what we saw - one of those moments where you can't help but take in a breath and just hang in the moment," said Dr Fraser, from the Nicholson Museum at the University of Sydney. 
 
 "I've never excavated an Egyptian tomb, but this comes close." 
 
 Identification effort 
 
 The sarcophagus was one of four sourced from Egypt around 1860 by the museum's founder. A handbook later classified it as empty. 
 
 Dr Fraser said the "dowdy-looking and nondescript" object had received little attention while Egyptologists studied the other coffins, which appeared more impressive and had complete mummies. 
 
 Image copyright NICHOLSON MUSEUM/UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY Image caption Excavation on the contents of the coffin concluded last week 
 
 Experts will try to identify the mummy, which was "badly torn apart" and ransacked by tomb raiders at some point in history. Only about 10% of the body remains in the coffin. 
 
 Dr Fraser said its hieroglyphics date to about 600BC and show that it was built for a woman named Mer-Neith-it-es, who was either a priestess or a worshipper. 
 
 Computed tomography (CT) scans and an excavation were finished last week. It located several bones, bandages, resin fragments, and more than 7,000 beads from a funeral shawl. 
 
 Dr Fraser said he hoped that radiocarbon testing would prove that the person died around 600BC. If it does, it is probable "that this person belongs to the coffin and, if it is a woman, it is likely Mer-Neith-it-es", he said. 
 
 Research opportunity 
 
 The find may present research opportunities because modern scientists do not perform physical tests on complete mummies, experts said. 
 
 "But in this case we can't do anything to the remains that the tomb raiders haven't already done," said Dr Fraser. 
 
 "In fact, by doing this process of excavation we can stabilise the remains and conserve them properly." 
 
 Image copyright MACQUARIE MEDICAL IMAGING Image caption The remains will now undergo radiocarbon testing 
 
 Prof John Magnussen, a radiologist from Macquarie University who scanned the coffin, also said the discovery was remarkable. 
 
 It had changed "what could have just been a pile of dirt and debris into a real archaeological find", he said.
– "The sarcophagus has been opened, but we have not been hit by a curse," declared the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council for Antiquities after opening a huge black sarcophagus that had been untouched for 2,000 years. Those prone to queasiness might have disagreed. Sewage water had leaked into the Alexandria sarcophagus over the centuries through a crack, meaning that instead of well-preserved mummies, antiquities head Mostafa Waziry and his team found three skeletons, a vile red liquid, and a terrible smell when they opened the sarcophagus, the Guardian reports. The discovery of the massive sarcophagus two weeks ago sparked rumors that the tomb of Alexander the Great could have been found, but archaeologists believe the three bodies were those of soldiers, judging by the lack of elaborate death masks and the arrow wound in one of the skulls, the Week reports. Waziry spoke to the media to dispel rumors that the sarcophagus was cursed, the BBC reports. "We've opened it and, thank God, the world has not fallen into darkness," he said. "I was the first to put my whole head inside the sarcophagus... and here I stand before you ... I am fine." (A less fragrant find was recently made at an ancient necropolis south of Cairo.)