Roman-Period Sarcophagi Found in Egypt

News December 31, 2018

(Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities)
SHARE:
Roman Egypt Sarcophagi
(Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities)

DAMIETTA, EGYPT—Ahram Online reports that cylindrical mud-brick sarcophagi dating to the Roman period have been discovered at Tel Al-Deir in the Nile Delta. Secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri said that some of the sarcophagi had been painted red and engraved with lines and geometric figures, and cartonnage placed on the linen-wrapped mummies inside the sarcophagi had been decorated to resemble the deceased. Pottery, five gold rings adorned with grapes and dolphins, and some 700 amulets, including representations of the deities Isis, Horus, and Tawusert, were also recovered. To read about another recent discovery in Egypt, go to “Mummy Workshop.”

  • Features November/December 2018

    Reimagining the Crusades

    A detailed picture of more than two centuries of European Christian life in the Holy Land is emerging from new excavations at monasteries, towns, cemeteries, and some of the world’s most enduring castles

    Read Article
    (Peter Horree/Alamy Stock Photo)
  • Letter from California November/December 2018

    Inside a Native Stronghold

    A rugged volcanic landscape was once the site of a dramatic standoff between the Modoc tribe and the U.S. Army

    Read Article
    (Julian Smith)
  • Artifacts November/December 2018

    Russian Canteen

    Read Article
    (Courtesy Copyright David Kobialka/Antiquity)
  • Digs & Discoveries November/December 2018

    The American Canine Family Tree

    Read Article
    (Photo by Del Baston/Courtesy of the Center for American Archeology)