The
tombstone, which was found at the Al-Abd archaeological site, is decorated with
scenes and inscriptions on a flat background representing the facade of an
ancient Egyptian temple. Written By/ Nevine El-Aref.
An
Egyptian archaeological mission has unearthed the remains of several
Greco-Roman tombs, including a "distinguished" tombstone, in the
eastern cemetery of the ancient city of Alexandria.
The
archaeologists made the finds at the Al-Abd site, which falls within the
Hellenistic cemetery, located on Alexandria's sea shore.
Mostafa
Waziri Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities said that the
remains include a collection of offering vessels, and lamps decorated with
scenes of Ancient Egyptian and Greco-Roman deities.
“But
the most important item of this discovery is a very distinguished tombstone
that was once used to close one of the cemetery's burial shafts,” Waziri told
Ahram Online.
He
explained that the tombstone is decorated with scenes and inscriptions made of
a mixture of sand and lime on a flat background representing the facade of an
ancient Egyptian temple. The scenes depict a staircase leading to the entrance
of the temple and two columns holding up the entrance’s roof. The staircase
leads to a set of double doors, one of which is half-open and bears a winged
sun-disk decoration, he said.
Ayman
Ashmawy, head of the Ancient Egyptian Antiquities Sector, said that this
tombstone is an evolution of the idea of a false door to mislead thieves,
drawing them away from the real door of the tomb. The false-door idea was
widespread in Ancient Egypt.
The
newly discovered tombstone, which was in a poor condition, is now undergoing
restoration. The
Al-Abd site is located within the eastern cemetery of the ancient city of
Alexandria, which contains a number of burials dating back to the Hellenistic
era.
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