Painted Tombstone Unearthed in Egypt

CAIRO, EGYPT—Ahram Online reports that a team of archaeologists has uncovered several Hellenistic tombs, offering vessels, lamps, and an unusual tombstone at the Al-Abd archaeological site, located within the eastern cemetery of the ancient city of Alexandria. The tombstone is thought to have been installed as a false tomb door in order to mislead thieves, according to Ayman Ashmawy of the Ancient Egyptian Antiquities Sector of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. The outer surface of the tombstone was decorated to look like the façade of an Egyptian temple, complete with a staircase and a set of double doors. The poorly preserved stone will be restored. For more, go to “Dawn of Egyptian Writing.”