Cairo: An Egyptian archaeological mission affiliated with the Supreme Council of Antiquities has discovered a pyramid-shaped tomb built of mud-brick at the Bir Al-Shaghala archaeological site in Dakhla Oasis, New Valley Governorate, dating to the Roman period.
According to State Information Service Egypt, The tomb, which was used for the burial of a man and his wife, features a distinctive architectural design as well as rare funerary inscriptions and texts.
Excavations uncovered several important artefacts, including a stone funerary stele bearing an ancient Greek elegy, a sandstone offering table and purification basin, a variety of pottery vessels and a bronze coin bearing a relief image of Roman Emperor Constantine.
Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy said the discovery highlights the archaeological and cultural richness of Egypt's oases and the evidence they preserve of the successive civilizations that flourished in Egypt over the centuries. He added that the ministry attaches great importance to supporting Egyptian archaeological missions for their role in expanding knowledge of Egypt's ancient civilization and highlighting its diversity and continuity across different historical periods.
'The significance of the discovery lies in the tomb's distinctive architectural elements, inscriptions and funerary texts, which provide important information about funerary practices and the cultural and religious life of the Dakhla Oasis during the Roman period,' Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Hisham El-Leithy said.
Meanwhile, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mohamed Abdel-Badie said the tomb is accessed by a 14-step staircase leading to its main entrance, which was built of sandstone in the Egyptian style and decorated with carved hieroglyphic inscriptions containing protective funerary spells and recitations.
The stone entrance is considered one of the distinctive architectural features of the Bir Al-Shaghala necropolis. It features an Egyptian cornice decorated with a winged sun disk and two cobras, followed by an architectural element shaped like a bundle of reeds.
The entrance's upper lintel bears a rare funerary scene being documented for the first time at the necropolis. It depicts the seventh hour of the Amduat, one of the ancient Egyptian Books of the Netherworld. Inscriptions and scenes relating to the tomb's occupants extend along both sides of the lintel.
The entrance was found sealed with a stone slab depicting Osirian imagery and surrounded by a series of funerary spells.
The entrance leads to a transverse mud-brick hall with a vaulted ceiling, part of which had collapsed on its western side. Two mud-brick burial chambers covered with a layer of plaster are located to the right of the hall, with the pyramid-shaped upper structure of the tomb above them.
Sami Dardiri, Head of the Central Administration of Middle Egypt Antiquities, said one of the most notable discoveries was a rectangular funerary stone stele, or elegy, set into the southern wall of the pyramid-shaped structure. The stele has a pedimented top centered by a sun disk carved in relief.
The stele bears a 19-line funerary poem written in red ink in ancient Greek and dedicated to a man named 'Psychtis.' Preliminary studies suggest that he may have served as a judge. The elegy dates to the late third or early fourth century AD and provides important evidence of the flourishing literary and cultural life of the oases during the Roman period.
Mohamed Ibrahim, Director-General of New Valley Antiquities, said the mission also discovered a sandstone offering table above a purification basin made of the same material, along with pottery vessels and a bronze coin bearing a relief image of Emperor Constantine.
Archaeological evidence suggests that the tomb may have been reused at a later period. In its upper section, archaeologists found a mud-brick chapel above the main entrance, with a funerary shrine in front of it featuring four square mud-brick columns.
The Bir Al-Shaghala area is one of the most important archaeological sites in Dakhla Oasis. It forms part of the necropolis of Mothis, the oasis capital during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. The modern name of the site derives from a water well known as Bir Al-Shaghala.
The Supreme Council of Antiquities began excavations at the site in 2002. Successive excavation seasons have uncovered numerous tombs featuring a variety of architectural layouts and styles.
The tombs discovered at the necropolis reflect an architectural style combining ancient Egyptian elements with influences that emerged during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. One of the prominent Egyptian-style designs features an open courtyard that, in some tombs, develops into a staircase flanked by altars believed to have been used for outdoor funerary rituals.
Some tombs also feature an upper level containing a funerary shrine topped by a pyramid-shaped structure. Their architectural and artistic features suggest that the necropolis may have been designated for members of the elite of the oasis capital during the Roman period.
The interior layout of several of these tombs consists of a front hall leading to burial chambers, some of which contained stone and pottery coffins. The chambers generally had vaulted ceilings made either of sandstone or mud-brick produced from locally sourced clay.
The walls and ceilings of several chambers are decorated with funerary scenes and texts derived from ancient Egyptian Books of the Netherworld, alongside Greek and Roman elements, reflecting the beliefs, customs, and traditions of the inhabitants of ancient Mothis, modern-day Mout, during that period.