Egypt, Italian-Egyptian archaeological mission discovers tombs of a type never seen before

The EIMAWA Italian-Egyptian archaeological mission, coordinated by theUniversity of Milan andEgypt ’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and led by Patrizia Piacentini, professor of Egyptology at the University degli Studi di Milano, and Abdelmoneim Said, Superintendent of Antiquities and the Aswan and Nubia Tourist Area (Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities), uncovered several tombs excavated along the contour of a hill containing remains of entire families near Aswan. Prominent among the finds are the bodies of an adult, probably a woman, and a small child still embraced. These discoveries offer new insights into the lives of people buried in the Aga Khan’s necropolis during the Greco-Roman era (6th century B.C.E. - 2nd century A.D.).

The tombs contain entire families and various funerary objects. The finds, made between February and March 2024 (the news, however, was only released today), are located on the western shore of Aswan, in the area around the Mausoleum of the Aga Khan, where as of 2019 archaeologists have identified about 400 tombs dated between the 6th century BCE and the 2nd century CE.

This discovery is unique in the type of burial: the tombs are arranged on more than ten levels of terracing, a phenomenon never seen in Egypt. The entire contour of the hill was dotted with rock-cut tombs that were lit with terracotta lanterns during festivals, creating a striking scenic effect.

Although the tombs were plundered in antiquity, they still preserve dozens of mummified bodies and parts of grave goods. Among them, the bodies of an adult, probably a woman, and a child about 1-2 years old, were found embraced in a stone sarcophagus. Scholars will analyze DNA to check for possible kinship links between the two.

Anthropological and radiological analyses have revealed valuable information about the living conditions, health and diseases of the time. It was found that 30-40% of the individuals were very young, from infants to adolescents. Some suffered from infectious diseases, others from metabolic disorders. One mature woman was found who had undergone amputation, evidenced by an osteoreparative callus in the femur. Other bodies show signs of anemia, nutritional deficiencies, tuberculosis and osteoarthritis. In some cases, the cause of death appears to be related to infectious diseases, as there is no significant bone disease.

CT scans revealed the presence of bracelets on the wrists of some individuals, with three-dimensional reconstructions obtained through the technique of “virtual debridement,” which allows internal details to be seen without removing bandages and bodies.

In addition to the bodies, the tombs contained numerous artifacts, including painted terracotta figurines, stone and wooden sarcophagi, offering tables and many painted cartonnages made from linen and plaster to cover the bodies of the deceased. funerary practices in Greco-Roman Egypt, revealing fascinating and complex details of the ancient society buried in the Aga Khan necropolis.

“The totality of the data,” explains Patrizia Piacentini, “suggests that in the lower part of the necropolis the middle class of Syene (modern Aswan) and the opposite island of Elephantine was buried, while the higher areas of the necropolis itself seem to be reserved for the elite. Analysis of the structure of these tombs also provides insight into the working conditions of the ancient artisans and their skills: they were able to excavate very low-ceilinged burial chambers and tunnels deeply into the rock, under climatic conditions that were not easy.”

Egypt, Italian-Egyptian archaeological mission discovers tombs of a type never seen before

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