11 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

The Rock Tombs Found by Chance in the Al-Hamidiyah Necropolis

A series of rock tombs carved into the slope of a mountain have been discovered in the Al-Hamidiyah necropolis on the west bank of the Nile in southern Egypt.

Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said that the tombs have different architectural styles and are dug at several levels in the mountain. They include tombs with one or several burial shafts and some have slope corridors that end with burial shafts. These tombs extend to periods of time ranging from the end of the Old Kingdom to the end of the Ptolemaic period.

He pointed out that among the discovered tombs is a sloping tomb from the end of the Old Kingdom that consists of a false door and an entrance leading to a gallery with a burial shaft in the southeast, which was reused in later times.

These tombs were discovered by chance during the documentation and archaeological record studies in the necropolis.

Al-Hamidiyah necropolis
Al-Hamidiyah Necropolis

The ruins of hieroglyphic text and scenes showing the tomb owner performing rituals and people making offerings to the dead are engraved on the false entrance.

Mohamed Abdel-Badiaa, head of the Central Department of Upper Egypt Antiquities, said that the excavation work in the necropolis also resulted in the discovery of many pottery vessels, some of which were used within daily life and others for funerary purposes as miniature symbolic deposits which are known as “votive miniatures”.

Small size bowls with remnants of yellowish paint on the exterior were discovered, as well as many small-sized alabaster and pottery vessels, the remains of a circular metal mirror, human and animal bones, and several pottery fragments representing Late Period amphorae. There were also inscriptions on limestone that may be funerary plates to tomb owners dating back to the end of the Sixth Dynasty.

Within the framework of the project, more than 300 cemeteries in the area were documented. It stretches from Nag Al-Sheikhs in the south to Al-Kharandariyah in the north.

People buried here are thought to have been elites in the nearby administrative center of Akhmim. It is expected that more graves will be uncovered before the project is completed.

Source: Ahram Online

Related Articles

Archaeologists Uncover Unique 6th Century Mosaic in Abandoned Byzantine Monastery

9 April 2025

9 April 2025

A recent excavation report from the Israel Antiquities Authority has revealed the discovery of a well-preserved Byzantine-period monastery and farmhouse...

A First in Türkiye: ‘Pilgrim Dimitrakis’ Inscribed Skull Found in Sinop

1 August 2024

1 August 2024

A male skull with the Greek inscription “Pilgrim Dimitrakis” was found during archaeological excavations at Balatlar Church in Sinop, on...

The famous archaeologist says he will announce the discovery of the mummy of Queen Nefertiti, one of Egyptology’s main riddles, next month

14 September 2022

14 September 2022

On December 9, 2021, Egypt’s archaeological mission, headed by renowned Egyptologist and former Antiquities Minister Zahi Hawass, resumed its search...

A 2,000-year-old whistle was found in a child’s grave in the ruins of Assos, Turkey

18 October 2022

18 October 2022

A terracotta whistle believed to be 2,000 years old from the Roman era and placed as a gift in a...

Sixth-Century Sword Unearthed in Anglo-Saxon Cemetery near Canterbury, England

28 December 2024

28 December 2024

A spectacular sixth-century sword has been unearthed in an Anglo-Saxon cemetery in southeast England, and archaeologists say it is in...

Archaeologists Uncovered a Unique Ancient Roman Winery with Marble Tiling and Fountains of Grape Juice

17 April 2023

17 April 2023

Archaeologists have uncovered a unique ancient Roman winery at the luxurious Villa of the Quintilii, just to the south of...

An amateur archeologist has discovered a Roman war site

1 November 2021

1 November 2021

Thanks to the insistence of an amateur archaeologist, a Roman battlefield in Switzerland has been identified. Shortly before the birth...

Gladiators were mostly Vegetarians and they were fatter than you may think

6 August 2023

6 August 2023

What better epitomizes the ideal male physique than the Roman gladiator? Gladiators were the movie stars of the first century,...

A Roman statue of the sea god Triton discovered near A2, London Road

13 September 2023

13 September 2023

Archaeologists have uncovered a Roman Statue of Triton during excavations in preparation for a housing development in Kent, England. Archaeologists...

Researchers find the earliest record of aurora in old Chinese documents

15 April 2022

15 April 2022

Researchers have found the oldest known reference to a candidate aurora in a celestial event, described in an ancient Chinese...

Romania’s 1.95 Million-Year-Old Hominin Evidence Pushes Back the Timeline of Human Presence in Europe

25 January 2025

25 January 2025

A recent study revealed evidence of “hominin activity” in Romania that dates back at least 1.95 million years, making it...

Women buried with thick twisted bronze neck rings and buckets on their feet found in Ukraine

20 January 2024

20 January 2024

Archaeologists discovered the remains of men buried with weapons such as axes, spearheads, and swords, and women buried with thick...

4000-year-old boat salvaged near the ancient city of Uruk one of the most important cities in ancient Mesopotamia

6 April 2022

6 April 2022

A team of archaeologists from the Iraqi German Mission of the State Board of Antiquities and the Orient Department of...

Unearthing the Origins of Carnival: Evidence of Ancient Summer Festivals in Pre-Colonial Brazil

11 February 2025

11 February 2025

A new study suggests that pre-colonial people in Brazil gathered during the summer months to feast on migratory fish and...

8,000-year-old Female Figurine Discovered in Ulucak Höyük in Western Türkiye

15 August 2024

15 August 2024

One of the most prominent and oldest Neolithic sites found in what is now Turkey has yielded yet another interesting...