Archaeologists discover Roman funerary structure and mummy portraits in Egypt

An Egyptian archaeological mission has discovered a massive Ptolemaic and Roman-era funerary structure, as well as new models of mummy portraits and a “rare” statue, in Al Fayoum province south of Cairo, the Antiques Ministry said.

“The discovered building is a huge structure in the style of funerary houses, with a floor of colored limestone and decorated with interchangeable colored tiles,” said Adel Okash, head of the Central Office of Egyptian Antiquities, in a note.

Okasha noted that during the tenth season of excavations, archaeologists found numerous and diverse historical artifacts and portraits. mummiesknown as the Faiyum Portraits, which he considered “the most important archaeological find of the current season.”

These portraits are naturalistic depictions of faces that during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods (1st century BC to 4th century) were used to cover mummiesinstead of the traditional masks of ancient Egyptian culture.

The newly discovered models are the first to be found since the last find by English archaeologist Flinders Petrie more than 115 years ago, the statement said.

For his part, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mustafa Waziri, assured that Egyptian archaeologists had found a “rare terracotta statue of the goddess Isis-Aphrodite” buried inside a wooden coffin.

In addition, a set of papyrus records with inscriptions in Demotic and Greek script was found, reflecting the social, economic and religious conditions of the region at that time.

Various archaeological finds

The Egyptian Archaeological Mission began excavations at the Yerza site in the Faiyum province in 2016, where various archaeological finds, both movable parts and structures, were discovered, representing the main features of this remarkable site, reflecting both the development of architecture from the 3rd century BC. until the end of the 3rd century AD

The city of Yerza, known as Philadelphia in Greek times, was founded in the 3rd century BC. C. as a central population under the agricultural restoration project implemented by King Ptolemy II.

(As reported by EFE)

OUR PODCASTS

Espacio Vital: Dr. Cesar Munaiko, Executive Director of Public Health Surveillance CDC at the Ministry of Health (Minsa), explained that avian influenza viruses could cause a pandemic. He said that there are two types of the virus: low pathogenic and highly pathogenic, which infect birds, poultry and in some cases infect humans. A person can become infected, but very rarely. In the United States, a case with fatigue was identified, but it could be controlled, it happens, but rarely, the specialist specified. He also pointed out that the H5N1 virus was found in pelicans, which is why Senasa issued a health alert, however H5N1 identification was not found in poultry, only in pelicans. He warned not to handle a dead bird, so he advised not to approach dead or sick birds.

Fernando Carvallo selects information and shares his vision of national and international news. sign to our Las cosas newsletter, as they should be reading your daily columns.