Tokyo - A Japanese research team found "a perfect mummy" in an unrobbed Egyptian tomb believed to be more than 3 500 years old, the team's leader said.

The mummy was in a sealed wooden coffin unearthed in the archeological site of Dahshur North in northern Egypt, said Sakuji Yoshimura, who headed the team from Tokyo's Waseda University.

The mummified man was believed to be from a period 3 500-4 000 years ago, older than the era of Tutankhamen, the pharaoh of ancient Egypt who ruled in 1336-1327 BC, Yoshimura said, citing characteristics of the coffin.

The mummy, wearing a mask painted blue and red that still retained vivid shades, was of high academic value as it was "a perfect mummy that has escaped robbery and other damage", he said on his website late on Friday.
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