Archaeologists Discover Ancient Cemetery and Numerous Artifacts from the Late Period in Northern Egypt

An Egyptian archaeological mission has discovered 63 ancient burials dating back to the Late Period of the pharaohs in the suburbs of Damietta in northern Egypt.

According to Mohamed Ismail Khaled, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, the architectural design of the tombs made of mud bricks corresponds to recognized examples from the Late Period of Ancient Egypt.

Excavations at the Tellel-Deir necropolis have been ongoing for several years. Previously discovered sarcophagi were associated with the Roman period, while the new findings, according to scholars, date back to the rule of the 26th and last Egyptian dynasty (685-525 BCE), after which power in Egypt passed to Persian rulers.

"This new archaeological discovery confirms the historical significance of the area and may mark the beginning of a restoration of an important period for the city of Damietta, which played a significant trade role throughout various historical epochs," noted Ismail Khaled.

The necropolis revealed local and foreign pottery, funerary figurines called ushabti, which were commonly placed in graves with the deceased, coins from that period, and finely crafted amulets made of thin gold plates depicting deities and religious symbols. Specialists noted the exceptional precision of execution and the splendor and diversity of materials used. Additionally, one of the vessels contained 38 bronze coins from a later period—the Ptolemaic era (4th-1st centuries BCE).

All of these findings serve as further confirmation of active trade between Damietta, located at the mouth of the Nile into the Mediterranean Sea, and European cities of the Mediterranean, emphasized Ayman Ashmawy, head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector of the Supreme Council.