5 Ptolemaic limestone blocks discovered in Sohag

CAIRO – 7 January 2019: The Egyptian mission working in Sohag discovered five ancient limestone blocks of different sizes.

Head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri said that the uncovered blocks were transferred to the recently discovered Ptolemy IV Temple located in El-Souq area of the same village.

The restorers, who conducted the first examination of the limestone blocks, indicate that the blocks belong to a shrine of the god Osiris, and that they date back to the era of King Ptolemy I.




The first block is irregular in shape and bears decorative units representing the facade of the palace, while the second block is rectangular and features two scenes. The right scene shows King Ptolemy providing clothes to Osiris, who sits on the throne, and the left scene shows King Ptolemy presenting another type of clothing to the god Osiris, who sits on the throne.

The third block is also rectangular and depicts King Ptolemy presenting a necklace to Osiris who sits on the throne, with his sister Isis behind him.

The Fourth block contains three rows of scenes representing King Ptolemy in front of Osiris, who sits on the throne, and behind Osiris stands a goddess. The upper row is completely lost, leaving only the legs of the king, the base of the throne of Osiris, and the feet of the deity standing behind him.

As for the middle row, it contains a preserved scene of King Ptolemy giving two windings to god Osiris, who sits on the throne, while the goddess Nephthys stands behind him. The two windings may contain green eye lacquer.

The upper end of the lower row of the fifth block is the only thing remaining; it holds a scene depicting King Ptolemy in front of Osiris sitting on the throne and the god Horus standing behind him.