Emily Chan
Dozens of ancient Egyptian tombs and other artifacts, including objects made of gold foil, were discovered during an Egyptian archaeological project carried out by the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
A total of 63 mud-brick tombs and a few simple burials were unearthed at the Tel el-Deir necropolis located in New Damietta, a Mediterranean coastal city.
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in Egypt, the tombs are thought to date back to ancient Egypt’s Late Period, which spanned from 664 to 332 B.C., making them nearly 3,000 years old.
One of the tombs was very large and contained burials of people who seemed to belong to the upper classes of society due to a collection of gold foil objects that were found inside the tomb. They were shaped in various forms, such as religious figures and symbols.
Among the forms was the Eye of Horus, a god with the head of a falcon. The object was worn as an amulet that was believed to have powers of protection.
Other gold foil figurines depicted “ba-birds,” mythological creatures that had wings and a human head and arms. They were said to watch over the dead’s spirit as it traveled to the afterlife.
During the excavation, archaeologists also uncovered a pottery vessel that held numerous bronze coins from the later Ptolemaic era.
There was a total of 38 coins featuring images of ancient Greek and Egyptian gods. They appeared to be engraved with the heads of the Greek god Zeus and the Egyptian god Ammon.
The Ptolemaic era began after Alexander the Great’s conquest of Egypt when he wrested control from the Persians in 332 B.C. The Ptolemaic kingdom was established in 305 B.C. It ruled until 30 B.C. when Romans conquered the region.
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