Lost Byzantine city rediscovered in Egypt’s Dakhla Oasis
Archaeologists have unearthed a well-preserved Byzantine-era residential city in the Dakhla Oasis, offering new insights into urban life in Egypt during the fourth and fifth centuries AD.
The settlement, excavated at the Ain Al-Sabil archaeological site in the New Valley Governorate by a mission from Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, has a well-organized street network, a Christian basilica, two watchtowers, a fortified structure and numerous mud-brick houses.
According to archaeologists, the city was built around broad north-south streets intersected by east-west roads, creating open public spaces. At its centre is a fourth-century Christian basilica, overlooking one of the city’s main streets, which is a key focal point as a religious and community centre.
The excavation also revealed domestic infrastructure such as bread ovens, kitchens and grain-grinding installations, providing a detailed picture of everyday life. The most notable buildings are the home of a priest named Tisos and another of Tabibos, which the researchers think may have been an early church before the basilica was built.
Image Credit : Supreme Council of Antiquities
One of the most important finds is nearly 200 ostraca—pottery fragments used as writing surfaces inscribed in Coptic and Greek. Commercial contracts, business transactions and personal correspondence are all contained in those texts, and they provide rare evidence of the city’s economic and social organization.
Researchers also found a large collection of well-preserved bronze coins with portraits of Byzantine emperors and gold coins dating back to Constantius II’s reign, helping to establish the occupation chronology of the site.
The Supreme Council of Antiquities said the discovery represents one of the most significant Byzantine settlements found in Egypt’s Western Desert, and is evidence of life in the Dakhla Oasis during a key time in the history of the country.
Egyptian archaeologists have uncovered a large settlement from the Second Intermediate Period at Tell el-Ku’a in Egypt’s eastern Nile Delta. The site includes tombs, homes, storage areas, ovens, and work spaces. Together, these finds offer a rare look at daily life during a time of political change.
Excavations at the site. Credit: Courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
The excavation took place at Tell el-Ku’a in the Wadi Tumilat corridor of Ismailia Governorate. This route linked the eastern Delta with Egypt’s eastern border and served as a major trade and travel route. The new finds help explain how people lived as Egypt moved from Hyksos rule into the early New Kingdom.
Archaeologists uncovered ten mudbrick tombs dating to the Fifteenth Dynasty. The tombs differ in size and design. Some follow the rectangular mastaba style. Others include decorated facades and more detailed building features.
Near the cemetery, the team found a planned residential area measuring about 30 by 60 meters. A mudbrick wall about 1.5 meters thick surrounded the settlement. Inside were halls, rooms of different sizes, and an orderly street plan. East of the homes, archaeologists found ovens and storage silos used for food and other supplies.
One of the tombs uncovered at Tell el-Ku’a. Credit: Courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
The layout shows a well-planned community where people lived, worked, stored goods, and buried their dead in one place. The site paints a clear picture of a self-supporting settlement with homes, workshops, storage areas, and burial grounds.
Excavations produced many artifacts, including scarabs, bronze tools, pottery vessels, alabaster kohl containers, and Tell el-Yahudiya flasks, a pottery type linked with the Second Intermediate Period. Some pottery pieces carry production marks and seals. These marks point to active trade and suggest Tell el-Ku’a served as a trading and distribution center.
Human remains found at the site add more detail to the story. Early study shows adults between 25 and 40 years old. Burial positions differ from one grave to another, showing several burial customs. Archaeologists also found large amounts of animal bones, likely left from meals and food offerings placed with the dead.
General view of the site, where archaeologists uncovered tombs, homes, silos, and production areas. Credit: Courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
One find stood out from the rest. Several people were buried outside the mudbrick tombs. Some lay in a crouched position, a burial style never found before at Tell el-Ku’a. Researchers plan further study to learn why these people received different treatment.
Pottery from the settlement shows heavy daily use. Tableware appears most often, followed by cooking pots. These finds give a simple picture of food preparation and daily household life.
Evidence shows people lived at Tell el-Ku’a until the middle of the Eighteenth Dynasty. The long period of use covers the shift from Hyksos control to the rise of the New Kingdom. This makes the site an important record of life during one of ancient Egypt’s biggest political changes.
Tell el-Ku’a covers about 55 feddans on the southern edge of the Wadi Tumilat corridor. Earlier excavations found buildings and tombs from the same period. The latest work adds a fuller picture of a busy settlement whose people took part in trade, local production, and everyday life for many generations.
A new archaeological discovery at Gabal El- Teir in Minya Governorate is offering fresh insights into the evolution of funerary architecture in ancient Egypt, following the unearthing of two Early Dynastic tombs alongside burials dating to the Predynastic and Late Periods.
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy described the find as a significant because it provides important evidence for tracing the development of funerary architecture across different historical periods.
The first early Dynastic tomb represents a rare architectural model distinguished by its unique geometric design, while the second tomb closely mirrors it in layout and is notably better preserved.
Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), explained that preliminary studies show similarities between the newly discovered tombs and the well-known tomb of King Den in Abydos.
This resemblance underscores the archaeological importance of the Gabal El-Teir site and reinforces its status as a major necropolis used continuously from the Predynastic through to the Late Period.
He added that the first tomb features a distinctive architectural approach based on the gradual variation in wall thickness, thicker at the base and tapering toward the top.
Such a design may represent an early stage in the evolution of engineering concepts that eventually led to the construction of the step pyramids and later, the true pyramids.
He also indicated that the tomb appears to have been subjected to quarrying activities in later periods to extract stone blocks.
Despite this, the remaining sections have preserved valuable evidence of ancient construction techniques, including oxide lines that reveal precise stone-cutting methods, as well as large wooden supports used to reinforce the walls.
Some of these supports extend along the entire wall length, while others appear as separate straight segments.
The second tomb, located further south, is nearly identical in architectural design but was not exposed to quarrying, which has helped preserve its structural elements more effectively.
Mohamed Abdel Badei, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector revealed that the mission also uncovered part of a Predynastic cemetery.
The burials were found in a crouched position and wrapped in remnants of decomposed plant matting, with some accompanied by black-topped pottery vessels dating to the Naqada II and III periods.
In addition, a number of individual and collective burials were discovered, some within the remains of deteriorated wooden coffins believed to date to the Late Period. These findings confirm the long-term use of the site as a burial ground across successive historical eras.
Excavations are ongoing at Gabal El-Teir, with archaeologists expecting further discoveries that will continue to illuminate the site’s historical and cultural significance.
Archaeologists working at Jabal al-Tayr in Egypt’s Minya Governorate have uncovered two Early Dynastic tombs along with burials dating from the Predynastic and Late Periods. The finds provide new evidence about how ancient Egyptian funerary architecture developed during the centuries before pyramids appeared on the landscape.
View of the structures uncovered at Jabal al-Tayr in Minya, Egypt. Credit: Courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
The excavation was carried out by an Egyptian mission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities. The site, located on the eastern bank of the Nile, appears to have served as a burial ground for thousands of years. Evidence from several different eras shows people continued using the area from the Predynastic period through the Late Period of ancient Egyptian history.
Researchers say the two tombs are among the most important parts of the find. Early studies show strong similarities between their design and the tomb of King Den at Abydos, one of the best-known rulers of Egypt’s First Dynasty. Those similarities suggest builders in different regions shared architectural ideas during the early stages of Egyptian state formation.
The first tomb stands out because of the way its walls were built. The walls are thicker at the bottom and gradually become thinner toward the top. Archaeologists believe this design reflects an early engineering approach aimed at improving stability. Similar principles later appeared in larger monuments, including step pyramids and the true pyramids built centuries afterward.
View of the structures uncovered at Jabal al-Tayr in Minya, Egypt. Credit: Courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
Although parts of the first tomb were damaged when stone blocks were removed for reuse in later periods, important details survived. Excavators found traces of oxide lines on stone surfaces, evidence linked to ancient cutting and extraction techniques. Large wooden supports were also built into the structure. Some extended across the full length of the walls, while others were installed as separate reinforcing sections. These remains provide rare information about construction methods used more than 5,000 years ago.
The second tomb lies south of the first and follows almost the same architectural plan. Unlike the neighboring structure, though, stone robbers left much of the building untouched. Because of its better state of preservation, archaeologists have been able to study original features in greater detail.
Finds from the necropolis. Credit: Courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
The team also uncovered part of a Predynastic cemetery. Several individuals were buried in a crouched position and wrapped in plant mats that have largely decomposed. Black-topped pottery vessels found beside some of the burials date to the Naqada II and Naqada III periods, which preceded the unification of Egypt.
Additional burials belong to the Late Period. Archaeologists identified both individual and collective graves, including some containing the remains of wooden coffins. These finds show the cemetery remained in use long after the Early Dynastic tombs were constructed.
Taken together, the discoveries paint a picture of a burial landscape used across multiple phases of Egyptian history. The site preserves evidence of changing funerary practices, architectural ideas, and construction techniques spanning several millennia. Excavations at Jabal al-Tayr are continuing, and archaeologists expect further finds from a location that still holds many unanswered questions about ancient Egypt’s earliest builders.
New architectural elements of ancient temple uncovered in Egypt’s Bahariya Oasis
Egyptian archaeologists have uncovered new architectural remains of an ancient temple dating to the 26th Dynasty at the Old Palace archaeological site in the village of Al-Qasr within the Bahariya Oasis, providing fresh insights into the region’s religious and administrative importance during the Late Period of ancient Egypt.
The discovery was made by an Egyptian archaeological mission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities during the latest excavation season at the site, which has been under investigation since 2014.
Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy, said the discoveries enhance understanding of ancient Egyptian civilisation and reinforce Egypt’s status as a leading destination for cultural tourism.
According to archaeologists, the latest excavations revealed additional architectural elements of the temple, including the remains of a sandstone structure and several carved stone blocks bearing the names and royal titles of Psamtik I, who ruled during the 26th Dynasty.
Dr Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the finds are helping researchers reconstruct the temple’s original layout and better understand its development through time. He described the discovery as further evidence of the historical significance of the Old Palace site, which served as an important religious and administrative centre for centuries.
Excavations have shown that construction of the temple began during the reign of Psamtik I and continued under his successors, including Apries and Amasis II.
One of the most important discoveries at the site is a large hypostyle hall containing 16 sandstone columns, along with a series of adjoining rooms and chambers. Archaeologists also uncovered decorated reliefs and hieroglyphic inscriptions mentioning several Egyptian deities, including Amun, Mut and Khonsu.
Researchers also recovered a stone stela dating to the reign of Amenhotep II, suggesting that the Bahariya Oasis maintained close ties with the Egyptian state as early as the New Kingdom period. Additional artefacts from the reign of Ramesses II indicate that religious and settlement activity at the site predates the construction of the 26th Dynasty temple.
Previous excavation seasons yielded a number of significant finds, including a metal seal that revealed the temple’s ancient name, “Ip-Set”, meaning “Headquarters of the Heart”. Archaeologists also uncovered bronze statues and amulets associated with the gods Osiris and Ra-Horakhty, as well as the head of a statue believed to represent a senior priest or official connected to the oasis.
Evidence recovered from the site further demonstrates that it remained occupied during the Greek and Roman periods and into the fourth and fifth centuries AD. Archaeologists found Coptic and Latin inscriptions, together with industrial installations, storage facilities and basins used in the production of wine and oils.
The Old Palace site is considered one of the most important archaeological locations in the Bahariya Oasis, having served as the region’s capital during the Late Period. Researchers believe the latest discoveries will contribute significantly to understanding the oasis’s role within ancient Egypt and its continued importance through successive historical eras.
Entering his third year at the University of Georgia, Christian Langer is the only Egyptologist in Franklin College’s Classics Department. His work revolves around lesser-told stories from ancient Egypt, particularly the experiences of people affected by forced migration, labor, and the building of empire.(Photo by David Mitchell)
Christian Langer has been fascinated with ancient Egypt since he was 3 years old. His parents read to him all manner of books cultural and scientific, and as time went on, he became captivated by stories of millennia-old pharaohs and mummies.
So when he decided to study Egyptology in college, it was a shock for him to learn there was much more to the Land of Pyramids than, well, pyramids.
“I think people don’t have an understanding that all these topics like Tutankhamun, gold, tombs, temples, pyramids, etc.—that is only a tiny fraction of what Egyptologists are doing,” said Langer, an assistant professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Department of Classics. “It’s less about the consumption or discussion of these grand discoveries and grand monuments and, really, largely painstakingly learning how to translate Egyptian sources.”
Langer’s research focuses on the effects of forced migration and deportation in ancient Egypt during the late Bronze Age, expanding beyond monuments and the elite to focus instead on the lives of people history often leaves out.
A stereotypical introduction
Langer grew up in Germany, where much of the history taught in schools focused on some of the darker parts of the country’s history: World War II, the Cold War, and the like.
He had a great interest in global history, however, particularly stories of ancient people who built societies and structures that still stand today.
“My voyage starts pretty much in the stereotypical way. As a kid, I had an early exposure to ancient Egyptian themes or ancient Egyptian contents in pop culture and animated series, like ‘DuckTales,’ for instance, which frequently visited ancient Egyptian aesthetics in one way or another,” he said.
When Langer went to college, he set out to be a lawyer, but that didn’t satisfy him intellectually. So, he began to look back at what drew his interest when he was in school.
“The University of Marburg in central Germany just so happened to still have an Egyptological institute, and that’s how it all started,” Langer said. “I started studying Egyptology, and I stuck with it.”
One of the first things Langer learned was that the field is less about exploring ancient ruins and more about learning a new language and writing system. The Egyptians kept very detailed records, so knowledge of ancient language and writing systems is vital to study. The complexity of the language, Langer reasoned, is why many students are intimidated by the field.
As his studies continued, Langer was surprised to learn how much of ancient Egypt was still unknown.
“There is very little we know for certain,” he said. “And so much left to explore.”
Uncovering lost voices
One of Langer’s central projects examines a side of ancient Egypt that rarely appears in popular imagination: the state’s use of forced migration, and the role deported people played in building Egyptian power.
When Langer entered the field, little research had been done on Egypt’s forced migration practices during the Late Bronze Age, which coincided with Egypt’s New Kingdom. Between the years 1500 and 1000 B.C.E., Egypt expanded southward into a region then known as Nubia, as well as along the Mediterranean coast toward the Levant.
“This expansion is accompanied by the forced removal or deportation of people from these locations back into Egypt,” he said. “These people were put in service of Egyptian temples, where they worked in agriculture, crafts, textile production, cattle herding, and other physically demanding labor.”
While many people imagine Egyptology is about finding lost tombs and relics, much of Langer's work involves translating Egyptian sources. In this picture from 2014, Langer gets a close-up look at ruins in Tanis, Egypt, located in the Eastern Nile Delta. (Photo provided by Langer)
Some also became slaves to Egypt’s elite, who put them to work on their private estates or sold them. Langer emphasizes that this was not incidental, but structurally important to Egypt’s growing empire. The neighboring societies were weakened by these expansions and deportations, while Egypt became wealthier and even more powerful.
This project was especially important to Langer for two reasons. First, few scholars had examined forced migration in ancient history beyond the Assyrian Empire’s deportations after 1000 B.C.E. In fact, Langer’s research proved that the systematic practice of forced migration was much older than that.
His other goal was to recover the voices of these forced migrants, three millennia later.
“These are people largely left out of the story,” he said. “The affected people, the deportees, servants, slaves, however you want to call them, are invisible. They have no voice of their own, and you need to reconstruct it indirectly.”
This reflects Langer’s broader argument that most popular understandings of ancient Egypt focus only on elites. Imperial records and other documents tended to be kept for the elite; because of this, only the perspective of Egypt’s ruling class has endured.
“These temples had vast landholdings where deportees and other workers were cultivating the fields, harvesting orchards, taking care of cattle, or preparing textiles,” he said. “A papyrus dated around 1150 B.C.E. listed temple landholdings and donations across the country that added up to a workforce of more than 100,000.”
A global research perspective
Langer frames himself as a researcher shaped by four different academic systems.
He earned his doctorate from Freie Universität Berlin but spent a year studying at University College London’s Institute of Archaeology.
Later, he moved to Beijing, China, to work as a postdoctoral fellow at Peking University’s School of Arts. In 2024, Langer found a new home in Franklin College’s classics department.
“Your perspective on a research subject depends on your point of view,” he said. “Your approach might also differ depending on the academic system you’re moving in. Not every academic system is equally interested in the same research problems.”
Langer trained in four different countries’ academic systems, giving him a very global perspective while approaching his subject. In this 2025 photo, Langer analyzes a relic at the University College London’s Petrie Museum of Egyptology. (Photo courtesy of Langer)
These international experiences have given Langer a more “global understanding of research questions,” he said. While studying in London, he found many of the researchers there approached Egyptology with a more theoretical perspective, while Germany let the “source material speak for itself.” In China, scholars often approached the material through questions about China’s own history.
Langer would like to broaden the field of Egyptology, examining ancient Egypt through a more global lens. One advantage of the U.S. academic system, he said, is that Egyptology is already embedded in fields like history and classics.
To this end, his latest research project revolves around the adoption of the originally Egyptian form of the obelisk in modern China. Rather than treating the obelisk as a static ancient symbol, Langer is interested in how it has been adapted and transformed in modern China, while also comparing it to how it is viewed in more Western cultures.
“If you look at Washington D.C., you have the Washington Monument. It’s a modern obelisk, the biggest obelisk on earth, and serves as a memorial for George Washington,” he said. “While in China, these obelisks take on a different role as martyrs’ monuments, where they are tied to darker subject matter, such as war and violence. They became especially popular in the 19th and 20th centuries to signify the collapse of the monarchy in China, civil war, or Japanese invasion during World War II.
“What keeps me going,” he said, “is this untapped potential to develop new perspectives and branch out, to make things, I hope, more meaningful in a way that helps create an Egyptology that reflects the very global nature of the early 21st century.”
The Ancient Egyptians’ ability to build the Great Pyramid of Giza in the absence of modern machinery and technology has amazed – and baffled – experts for decades.
But now the mystery surrounding the monument’s construction may have been solved by researcher Vicente Luis Rosell Roig, who presents mathematical evidence in Nature that an ingenious system of spiralling, indented ramps were used to deliver the stones used in its construction.
The vast structure – the largest Egyptian pyramid – built around 2,560 BCE as the tomb of the Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu, contains an estimated 2.3 million stone blocks, weighing between 2.5 and 15 tonnes each.
For the monument to have been completed within the 27 years of Khufu's reign, a block would have to have been placed at an average rate of one every three minutes. Debate has raged, however, over how the giant structure could have been completed in this time frame.
Some researchers have suggested that external ramps were used. But such ramps would themselves have required vast quantities of material, and no clear archaeological evidence of them has ever been found.
Another idea suggests a single ramp was built into the pyramid, spiralling upwards through the structure before being filled in from the top down as construction progressed.
But Roig’s mathematical modelling found that it would have taken nearly half a century to complete the pyramid using just one ramp.
Instead, he argues that four indented ramps spiralled around the pyramid simultaneously, each beginning from a different point near the base. Once the main structure was complete, these ramps could then have been filled in. His computer-generated model suggested this method would have allowed construction to have been completed in the 27-year time frame.
“This is a very interesting explanation for the pyramid’s construction,” said Dr Roland Enmarch, a reader in Egyptology at the University of Liverpool. “It will need to be verified with more evidence – more scans of structural abnormalities that we would expect to see at the corner points, where the ramp would suddenly have changed direction.
“But it does seem very plausible. The Great Pyramid of Giza wasn’t the oldest or the last of the pyramids, so it might also shed light on how others were built.”
An Egyptian-French archaeological mission has revealed a remarkably sophisticated Mamluk-era water supply system, along with the remains of a mosque and centuries-old tombs near Cairo’s Salah Al-Din Citadel, offering a fascinating glimpse into how one of Egypt’s most important medieval landmarks functioned behind the scenes.
The discovery was made in the Arab al-Yasar and al-Hattaba districts as part of an ongoing project led by Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) and the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology (IFAO) to document and restore historic areas surrounding the Citadel.
A Sophisticated Water Network Beneath the Citadel
Archaeologists uncovered two massive stone wells measuring approximately 10 and eight metres deep. The wells were connected to a system of waterwheels that transported water uphill, helping supply the fortress and nearby communities.
Among the discoveries were animal pathways used to power the water-lifting mechanisms, stables, fodder storage areas, water basins, and stone-paved workspaces. Together, these elements paint a picture of a highly organized operation where people, animals, and machinery worked together to keep water flowing.
Alongside the water infrastructure, the mission uncovered the remains of a mosque that once served the surrounding community.
A burial chamber connected to the mosque was also found, as well as several tombs dating to different Islamic periods. One grave is believed to date back to the early Islamic era, suggesting the site remained active and significant for centuries.
Coins, Jewelry, and Everyday Objects from the Past
The team recovered ceramic qawadis, the vessels used in water-lifting systems, as well as coins dating to both the Mamluk and Ottoman periods. Archaeologists also uncovered jewelry, metal seals, additional coins, and fragments of weapons from the 18th and 19th centuries.
According to Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy, the discoveries represent a significant addition to our understanding of the Citadel and its evolution across different Islamic periods.
For centuries, the Citadel served as Egypt’s political and administrative heart, and every new discovery helps historians better understand how this iconic landmark operated on a day-to-day basis. The findings also support ongoing efforts to preserve Historic Cairo and strengthen its role as a cultural tourism destination.
From towering fortifications to hidden wells buried underground, Cairo continues to prove that its history runs deeper than we imagine. These newly uncovered structures reveal the ingenuity, organization, and daily rhythms that once powered life around the Citadel. As archaeologists continue their work, there’s no telling what other secrets may still be waiting beneath the streets of Historic Cairo.
The four rare Egyptian artifacts that had been smuggled into the United States- press photo from the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
CAIRO – 5 June 2026: The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, in cooperation with the Egyptian Consulate in Houston, has successfully recovered four rare Egyptian artifacts that had been smuggled into the United States, according to a statement issued by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.
The recovered pieces date back to different periods of ancient Egyptian civilization and represent another milestone in Egypt’s ongoing efforts to reclaim its cultural heritage.
The ministry stated that the recovery reflects the Egyptian state's commitment to protecting its cultural legacy and preserving its national identity. It also highlights the strong relationship between Egypt and the United States, as well as the close cooperation between the two countries in combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property and promoting respect for humanity’s shared heritage.
Among the most significant artifacts recovered is a granite statue head depicting a royal figure wearing a traditional pharaonic headdress. The piece dates back to the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom.
The latest recovery builds on a framework of bilateral cooperation established through a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by Egypt and the United States in Cairo on November 30, 2021. The agreement, signed by Jonathan R. Cohen and Mostafa Waziri, replaced the 2016 MOU and expanded protections for a wider range of Egyptian cultural objects. It also strengthened cooperation between the two countries to prevent the trafficking of archaeological artifacts and facilitate the identification, recovery, and return of stolen cultural property.
Egypt has achieved several notable successes in recovering antiquities from the United States in recent years. In November 2025, authorities recovered 36 artifacts from New York that had been illegally removed from Egypt. The collection included 11 artifacts confiscated by the New York Attorney General’s Office and transferred to the Egyptian Consulate in New York, 24 rare manuscripts containing Coptic and Syriac texts, and a painted limestone relief from the 18th Dynasty returned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In April 2026, Egypt also succeeded in recovering 13 antiquities from the United States that had been smuggled out of the country illegally.
These recoveries underscore Egypt’s continued efforts, in partnership with international authorities and institutions, to safeguard its archaeological heritage and secure the return of cultural treasures to their country of origin.
Excavations at Tell Kom Aziza in Beheira Governorate have uncovered part of a Greco-Roman cemetery along with evidence of settlement activity stretching back to the Old Kingdom, offering a long archaeological sequence that spans several major periods of Egyptian history.
Excavations at the necropolis. Photo courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
The work was carried out by an Egyptian archaeological mission under the Supreme Council of Antiquities. According to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the cemetery was built above earlier occupation layers, and the stratigraphy indicates repeated use of the site from the Old Kingdom through the New Kingdom and Late Period into the Greco-Roman era.
The excavation revealed a wide range of burial forms. Some graves were simple pits cut into the soil, while others had mudbrick linings that created more structured burial spaces. Archaeologists also recovered burials placed in decorated plaster coffins and in barrel-shaped pottery coffins, a form commonly associated with the Ptolemaic period.
Excavations at the necropolis. Photo courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
Preliminary study of the human remains points to considerable variation in funerary practice. Researchers documented both individual and collective burials. Bodies were oriented either north-south or east-west, and arm positions differed from one burial to another. Some individuals had hands crossed over the pelvis, others had hands near the neck, some were placed in the Osirian pose with arms crossed over the chest, and others had arms extended along the thighs. The team says this pattern reflects multiple traditions of body preparation and burial treatment rather than a single uniform rite.
Some of the artifacts uncovered during excavations at Tell Kom Aziza. Photo courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
A particularly unusual find was the complete burial of wild boars (Sus scrofa) within one of the archaeological layers. Boar burials are extremely rare in ancient Egyptian funerary contexts because pigs and boars carried negative associations in some Egyptian religious traditions, especially through their connection with the god Seth. Excavation leaders say the animals may relate more to economic or domestic activity at the site during a certain phase of occupation than to a formal funerary ritual, although further analysis is still needed.
Beyond the cemetery, the mission uncovered material from everyday life. Finds include ceramic and stone vessels, bread-making molds, stone tools, ovens, storage containers, and large quantities of fish, bird, and mammal remains. The faunal assemblage will help reconstruct diet, food processing, and local economic activity across different periods of occupation.
One of the wild boar burials uncovered at Tell Kom Aziza in Egypt. Photo courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
The site’s importance lies in the combination of funerary evidence and settlement evidence within a single stratified sequence. The Greco-Roman cemetery represents only the latest visible phase of a landscape that had already been occupied for centuries. Each layer preserves traces of changing patterns of habitation, production, burial, and interaction with the surrounding delta environment.
Officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Supreme Council of Antiquities describe Tell Kom Aziza as one of the Nile Delta’s most promising multi-period archaeological sites. Future excavation seasons are expected to focus on clarifying the chronology of the cemetery, the relationship between different burial types, and the function of the boar burials within the broader history of the settlement.
A significant archaeological breakthrough has been uncovered in the historic district of Matariya, Ain Shams, where excavations at the tomb of “Panehsy” have revealed the first nearly complete funerary furniture set ever discovered in the area, alongside a trove of rare artefacts that shed new light on burial practices across centuries.
The discovery, made by an Egyptian archaeological mission affiliated with the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), offers fresh insight into the ancient necropolis of Heliopolis, one of the most important religious centres of the ancient world.
The find underscores the growing success of Egyptian-led excavations in “re-reading” the historical and cultural legacy of Heliopolis as the newly uncovered objects provide a more detailed understanding of both daily life and funerary traditions spanning multiple historical periods.
Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of the SCA, explained that excavations uncovered a mudbrick burial containing human skeletal remains, and continued careful excavation beneath it led to the discovery of a concealed archaeological cachette featuring a distinguished collection of cosmetic tools and symbolic objects associated with funerary practices.
Among the standout artefacts is a copper mirror, along with two alabaster kohl containers still preserving traces of cosmetic material.
A third kohl container, crafted from rare black obsidian, adds particular significance due to the rarity of the material in similar archaeological contexts.
The excavation team also uncovered two light-blue faience vessels. One vessel contained six intricately inscribed scarabs, including two encased in yellow metal frames believed to be gold.
Mohamed Abdel Badie, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector, stated that the cachette also included a collection of faience amulets in symbolic forms, including a duck-shaped amulet and another representing the Atef crown. The discovery further revealed four stones, two of which are believed to be carnelian, one pinkish-red and encased in a yellow metal frame likely made of gold, and another with a greenish-blue hue.
Archaeologists also recovered a notable collection of yellow-colored metal earrings, consisting of five pairs of varying sizes, believed to be made of gold, with diameters ranging between 1.5 and 2.5 centimetres.
Abdel Badie added that the discovery builds on earlier excavation results at the site this season, which revealed mudbrick and limestone funerary structures, as well as two coffins found in a fragmented, stacked condition. One coffin was made of pottery, while the other, constructed from plaster with a gilded appearance and decorated with red inscriptions, contained gilded remains believed to belong to a military figure, along with a coin possibly dating to the Roman period.
“Additional limestone blocks bearing hieroglyphic inscriptions were also uncovered, further enhancing the archaeological significance of the site and supporting efforts to better understand its chronological and cultural development,” he said.
The necropolis where the tomb of “Panehsy” is located represents a vital archaeological record documenting the different periods the area has witnessed, having served as a burial ground for prominent individuals from the Late Period through the Roman era and into the Christian period.
The site forms part of the greater necropolis of ancient Heliopolis, historically known as “Oun,” the principal religious center for the worship of the sun god Re, giving the discovery particular importance in understanding the evolution of funerary practices, religious beliefs, and social structures in one of ancient Egypt’s most sacred cities.
Rare find in Egypt reveals cartouche of Senusret III, marble head of Aphrodite, and unpublished structures of a Roman basilica in the ancient city of Ihnasya, in Beni Suef
Excavations in Ihnasya, Egypt, revealed inscription linked to Senusret III, marble head of Aphrodite, structures of a Roman basilica, and remains showing the religious, political, and economic importance of the ancient city
Excavations in Ihnasya, an ancient city in the province of Beni Suef, Egypt, revealed a rare find of artifacts from different periods, including an inscription linked to Pharaoh Senusret III, a marble head of Aphrodite, and new parts of a Roman basilica, expanding the understanding of the religious, political, and economic importance of the site.
General photograph of the excavation site / Credit: Disclosure/Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt
Rare find of Senusret III inscription reinforces religious significance of Ihnasya
One of the main finds is a reused stone block with the cartouche of Senusret III, ruler of the Twelfth Dynasty. The inscription preserves both the throne name and the birth name of the pharaoh.
The discovery gains relevance because Senusret III was already associated with other monuments found in the region.
The new record strengthens the connection between the pharaoh and Ihnasya, a city that played an important role in different phases of Egyptian history.
Archaeologists also identified another cartouche related to Osiris-Nefertem, a deity worshiped in the area.
The presence of this reference reinforces the religious character of the city and shows how its places of worship spanned different historical periods.
Known by the Greeks as Heracleopolis Magna, Ihnasya maintained regional importance even after ceasing to be a capital.
The set of finds helps explain why the site remains relevant for the study of urban, religious, and political organization of ancient Egypt.
Roman basilica used parts of dismantled Doric temple
The excavations also revealed previously unknown sections of a Roman basilica. During the work, archaeologists identified that elements of an ancient Doric temple were dismantled and reused in the construction of the religious building.
Preliminary analyses indicate that, in the 6th century AD, the builders incorporated parts of this earlier structure into the foundations and floor that supported the basilica’s columns.
The reuse of materials shows an important transformation in the use of public and religious spaces in Ihnasya.
Large stone blocks were arranged to form a base capable of supporting monumental columns.
Some of these columns are estimated to weigh around 45 tons. Three of them remain preserved in their original positions, which helps researchers study the techniques used in the construction and adaptation of the building.
Head of Aphrodite and inscription of Senusret III / Credit: Disclosure/Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt
Head of Aphrodite is considered rare at the archaeological site
Another highlight of the excavations in Ihnasya is a marble head representing Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. The piece measures approximately 24 by 25 centimeters.
The sculpture preserves refined details, such as facial features and sculpted curls. According to archaeologists, the piece follows common characteristics of classical representations of deities and prominent figures of the Greco-Roman world.
The material was classified as a rare example among the finds already identified at the archaeological site. Its presence broadens the picture of cultural influences recorded in Ihnasya over time.
The discovery also reinforces the presence of Greco-Roman elements in the city, which underwent successive religious, architectural, and institutional transformations.
Coin molds indicate economic activity in the Roman period
In addition to the inscription of Senusret III, the head of Aphrodite, and the structures of the Roman basilica, archaeologists located fragments of sculpted reliefs, decorated architectural elements, and clay molds used in coin production.
These materials indicate that Ihnasya remained active and economically relevant long after the end of the pharaonic era.
The presence of the molds points to activities related to monetary production during the Roman period.
The set of evidence helps reconstruct the city’s trajectory over more than a millennium. The discoveries show changes in religious practices, architecture, and public institutions, reflecting the influence of different cultures.
The recovered materials are still under analysis and will undergo new dating studies. Researchers hope to more precisely understand how Ihnasya transformed and how its inhabitants responded to the political, religious, and cultural changes throughout Egypt’s long history.
This article was prepared based on information from Archaeology News and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt, with data, numbers, and statements preserved as per the consulted material.
