Egyptian archaeologists have discovered a series of tombs almost 2,000 years old on the Mediterranean coast and the remains of a Byzantine-era city in the Western Desert, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said.
The coastal discovery was made at Marina El-Alamein, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of Alexandria, where recent excavations uncovered 18 Greco-Roman tombs, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
Several burial chambers were discovered with their original stone slabs still in place, while a granite sarcophagus measuring approximately 2.5 meters (8 feet) was discovered with its lid intact, suggesting that the tombs had remained sealed for almost two millennia.
Inside the tombs, archaeologists found human remains as well as pottery, amphorae and other funerary objects.
Among the most remarkable discoveries are 24 gold objects placed in the mouths of several individuals, a funerary practice associated with beliefs about the afterlife.
The site would correspond to the ancient city of Leukaspis, a Mediterranean port which prospered between the Hellenistic and Byzantine periods.
This latest discovery brings to 44 the total number of known tombs at Marina El-Alamein since the site was first identified in 1986 during construction work, the ministry said.
Separately, in the Dakhla oasis in Egypt’s western desert, archaeologists have discovered the remains of a Byzantine-era settlement at Ain al-Sabil, dated to around the 4th century AD, the ministry said on Friday.
The city, constructed of mudbrick, features a planned street grid, public squares, residential buildings, a basilica-style church, and defensive structures, indicating an organized urban community within the desert.
The site also yielded around 200 ostraca written in Coptic and Greek, as well as bronze and gold coins, including examples relating to the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantius II (337-361 AD).
Egypt is trying to increase its tourism revenue, with large-scale archaeological discoveries frequently used to highlight the country’s cultural heritage and attract international visitors.
Tourism is a key source of foreign exchange, alongside revenues from the Suez Canal and remittances from Egyptians working abroad.
