LAHUN, EGYPT -- Officials have quietly covered up what may be the most stunning archaeological discovery of all time: The body of a perfectly preserved, carefully mummified space alien found buried in an ancient pyramid!

The 5-foot-3-inch creature was discovered on January 7 near Lahun by an archaeologist exploring a small pyramid near the 12th Dynasty pyramid of Senusret II, but little public mention of the extraordinary find has been made.

"The mummy dates from about 1880 B.C. and is humanoid, but clearly not human," says a source in the Egyptian Department of Antiquities, who provided details and photographs of the find but spoke under condition of anonymity.

"It's unclear what sex it was, but we do know it had unusual reptilian-type skin, no external ears and overly large, almond-shaped eyes.

"The mummy's tomb inscriptions showed it was a counselor to the king named Osirunet, which means 'star- or heaven-sent.' The body was mummified and buried with great respect and care, accompanied by a number of strange objects that we cannot identify."

The alien mummy was unearthed by Dr. Viktor Lubek, a Czechoslovakian citizen and retired professor from the University of Pennsylvania, according to the Egyptian source.

The archaeologist located its hidden burial chamber while investigating a small pyramid to the south of the main pyramid at the Senusret II site thought to contain the pharaoh's queen.

"It was apparent from the outset that this tomb contained someone extraordinary because the mummy had been preserved in a very unusual manner," the Egyptian source says.

"There was a mixture of gold and clay coating the corpse, and remaining vestiges of a linen-type cloth covered the being's skin.

"Objects inside the tomb included devices made of a tough synthetic-type material that no one has been able to identify, and the uses of these strange machine-like items are a complete mystery.

"No one's ever seen anything like this in any Egyptian tomb."

The source says the bizarre find has caused consternation among Egyptian officials, who want to cover it up until a plausible explanation can be found for the strange mummy.

The government has consulted a number of respected archaeologists, but to date none can explain the artifact in ordinary terms.

"The truth is, almost every expert who has seen this mummy has concluded it's not of earthly origin," the source says.

"There's a feeling this is an extraterrestrial who somehow ended up advising an Egyptian king. But everyone in the government is shying away from that conclusion because it backs up wacky New Age ideas that the ancient Egyptians had help from space aliens in building their extraordinary civilization.

"The Egyptians refuse to believe their heritage came from outer space," he said.

The mummy is slated to be flown to a university in Florida where specialists will examine it more closely.