New tombstone discovered dating back to Coptic Era

CAIRO – 23 October 2017: A tombstone dating back to the Coptic era was discovered on Sunday during excavations carried out by the Egyptian archaeological mission headed by Yasser Mahmoud, announced Mostafa el Waziry, the secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

The tombstone was discovered in the western side of the Kebbash road of the rams under the Al Mathan Bridge.

Mustafa Al-Sagheer, director of Karnak Temple and Al-Kabbash Road, said that the tombstone is made of limestone and is 98 centimetres long and 38 centimetres wide. “It has a cross and Coptic writing inscribed on it,” Al-Sagheer explained.


A gravestone dating back to the Coptic Period (4th−7th centuries) was unearthed in Luxor- Press photo

He pointed out that the tombstone is in good condition and has been deposited in the museum store until preparations for the necessary examinations are complete. The examinations will reveal the owner of the tombstone and determine the exact time period to which it dates back.

The famous Egyptian archaeologist, Zahi Hawass, previously announced that what Egypt has so far discovered represents about 30 percent of its total antiquities; the remaining 70 percent are still buried under the earth.

An Egyptian archaeological mission succeeded recently in discovering two prominent tombs in Draa Abul-Naga necropolis on Luxor's West Bank. The first one was Osrahat’s, which was discovered last April; and the second was Amun-Re’s goldsmith, Amenemhat’s, burial place. Amenemhat’s burial place dates back to the 18th dynasty, and was discovered on September 9.

‘’The newly discovered cemetery in Luxor is one of the most important discoveries of the modern era,” Hawass recounted previously. He explained that the discovered tomb was extremely rich with antiquities as its owner was a jewellery maker, and almost half of its contents were in good conditions.