Egypt is an archaeological hotspot. That was a century ago, and it still is today (despite the discovery of a very rare Egyptian amulet in an Iberian tomb in Ciudad Real). Despite being one of the most explored sites by the archaeological community, we continue to find treasures, unravel its traditions, and even find wine vessels from 5,000 years ago. We even recently discovered that the ancient Egyptians had extensive knowledge of hydraulics.

But what continues to speak about the Egyptians’ vast industry of death is that it allows us to better understand this civilization, this historical period, and their beliefs. Unfortunately, there are dozens of tombs that have been looted, but we did not count on the discovery of an intact necropolis containing many treasures.

This is what happened at the ancient necropolis of Tel el-Deir.

Treasure returns from the dead in Egypt

The Supreme Council of Antiquities, located in the New Damietta region, recently announced a discovery. 63 adobe gravesExcept for some simple graves, these belong to the Tel el-Deir archaeological mission, which has been ongoing for several years and which occasionally surprises us with an unusual discovery.

So why is it so important? Because as we said, many tombs were looted and although these empty tombs also help archaeologists get an idea of ​​what the tombs looked like, when we find an ‘unopened’ tomb, we can help them get an idea of ​​what the tombs were like. Let’s get a clearer idea of ​​how they treated the dead in ancient times.

We are talking about people buried in this necropolis more than 2,500 years ago, during the XXVIth Dynasty of Egypt, and that have remained intact throughout these millennia. The secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities explains that the architectural arrangement of the tombs discovered now is one of the models recognized and widespread in the late period in Ancient Egypt and could be the beginning of the rediscovery of an important period for the city of Damietta.

In these tombs, archaeologists found a number of very good-preserved funerary amulets consisting of gold sheets and simpler remains of religious symbols and deities such as Horus, Bastet and Isis, as well as ushabti figures and ceramic vessels. Some insects that aided the deceased in the afterlife were also found.

It is a trove very similar to those found in previous excavations of 20 tombs, where, along with the objects, vessels were found in which the organs of the deceased were placed during mummification rituals.

However, imported ceramics from the Ptolemaic period and a vessel containing 38 bronze coins were also found, confirming the importance of Damietta as a commercial point.

It is no wonder that it is a city located in the Nile delta, on the Mediterranean coast, which was a major port in ancient times; this importance was revived during the Crusades, because it was decided during the fifth Crusade. Damietta was a vital settlement. Controlling the port meant controlling the Nile and with it all of Egypt, in order to start the reconquest of Jerusalem.

Undoubtedly, being able to find these treasures almost intact is of great archaeological value and in terms of reconstructing the past, and judging by what has been seen since they began exploring the necropolis, this will not be the last discovery of this type in the region.

Pictures | Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (Facebook)

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