A significant trove of artifacts, including gold pieces and jewelry dating back to Egypt’s Late and Ptolemaic periods, has been discovered in 63 tombs located in the Nile Delta region, CBS News reports.
The discovery, made by experts from Egypt’s antiquities authority, is currently undergoing restoration and classification.
Neveine el-Arif, spokesperson for the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, stated that some of the unearthed items may be displayed in one of the country’s museums. The tombs, thought to belong to the last dynasty of ancient Egypt, have yielded a wealth of historical treasures, shedding new light on this crucial period in Egyptian history.
An Egyptian archaeological mission with the Supreme Council of Antiquities discovered the mud-brick tombs at the Tell al-Deir necropolis in Damietta city in Damietta governorate, the ministry said in a statement last month.
Archeologists said the tombs belonged to rich ancient Egyptians dating back 2,500 years, CBS Chicago reported. The burial site is believed to contain the remains of the wealthiest and most important in society at the time. The bodies were also buried with gold foil figures believed to act as servants for those people in the afterlife.
Other items found in the area of the tombs include statues, funerary amulets and a pottery vessel containing 38 bronze coins dating to the Ptolemaic period.
The Ptolemaic dynasty was Egypt’s last before it became part of the Roman Empire. The dynasty was founded in 305 B.C. after Alexander the Great of Macedonia took Egypt in 332 B.C. and one of his generals, Ptolemy, became Ptolemy I. Leadership was handed down through Ptolemy’s descendants and ended with Cleopatra.
Egypt exhibited artifacts from the Ptolemaic period for the first time in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo in 2018, with around 300 artifacts on display.
Egypt has experienced a flurry of archaeological discoveries in recent months. Last May, authorities unveiled ancient workshops and tombs at a Pharaonic necropolis near Cairo, adding to the region’s rich history.
Just a few months prior, archaeologists uncovered an ancient tomb in Luxor, renowned for its treasures dating back to the pharaohs, further solidifying Egypt’s position as a treasure trove of ancient wonders.
