Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered more than 20 funerary stelae depicting human figures at Tell El-Deir, an archaeological site in the Nile Delta. The news was reported by multiple news outlets, including Ahram and La Brújula Verde, following an announcement by Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA).
The carved limestone grave markers are notable not only for their workmanship but for the engravings on their lateral sides and backs. These include the griffin, a mythological creature of Mesopotamia and ancient Greece; Agathodaemon, the snake spirit associated with good luck in ancient Greek religion; and Isis-Thermuthis, a fusion of the Egyptian goddess Isis and the Egyptian harvest deity Renenutet, whose Greek name is Thermuthis, and who was later assimilated by the Greeks to Agathodaemon.
According to Mohamed Abdel-Badie, head of the Egyptian Antiquities sector of the SCA, this combination of icons could only have emerged from Egypt’s contact with Greek culture during the Ptolemaic (305–30 BCE) and Roman (30 BCE–642 CE) periods, while the quality of the carvings indicated the high status of the graves’ occupants.
The excavation, carried out by an Egyptian archaeological mission under the supervision of the SCA, also uncovered pottery coffins, as well as a collection of incense burners, oil lamps, and funerary amulets.
Since work resumed at Tell El-Deir in 2007, archaeologists have found thousands of artifacts, linked mainly to the 26th Dynasty (664–525 BCE), the last royal family of Egyptian origin before the Persian conquest of Egypt. This most recent find suggests that the necropolis was in continuous use from the Late Period to the end of Roman rule, adding to an understanding of burial practices at Tell El-Deir over time.
“This discovery demonstrates that Tell El-Deir was far more than a burial ground. Instead, it served as a fully developed funerary complex reflecting a distinct social, cultural and religious identity,” said Hesham El-Leithy, secretary-general of the SCA.
