An Egyptian archaeological mission has uncovered a new funerary complex at the Quesna Necropolis in Menoufiya governorate, shedding light on burial practices and cultural and commercial links during Egypt’s Late and Greco-Roman periods.
The complex consists of a main hall connected to several rooms with vaulted entrances. Archaeological evidence indicates that the rooms were also covered by vaulted roofs, allowing researchers to reconstruct the site’s original architectural layout, the ministry said.
Excavations uncovered several human burials, found in varying states of preservation and placed in an Osirian position associated with rebirth in ancient Egyptian belief.
Inside one of the chambers, archaeologists found two large groups comprising 560 faience ushabti figurines. The figures, which represented servants intended to accompany the deceased in the afterlife, varied in shape and size and were depicted in the traditional Osirian form. Some bore passages adapted from the Book of the Dead.
The mission also discovered protective amulets made of semi-precious stones, including finger amulets, the Eye of Horus and the Isis knot, as well as representations of several ancient Egyptian deities. The objects were linked to concepts of protection, strength and resurrection, the ministry said.
Other finds included a variety of pottery dishes and vessels, a container holding residues that may have been used in mummification or funerary rituals, and two pottery lamps.
Large quantities of blue and green faience beads were also found. Researchers believe they may have formed part of a funerary net or covering placed over one of the burials.
The excavation additionally yielded imported pottery from the island of Rhodes, including part of a vessel handle bearing its maker’s name. The find provides evidence of active trade between Egypt and the wider Mediterranean during the Late and Greco-Roman periods.
The team also documented unusual funerary practices that are still under scientific study. These included pottery plates placed beneath the arms of one burial in the Osirian position and another between the thighs. Some of the vessels contained residues possibly connected to funerary rituals.
The Quesna Necropolis, one of the most important cemeteries for private individuals in the central Nile Delta, was discovered in 1991. It contains funerary structures dating to successive historical periods and is considered a key site for studying the evolution of burial customs, beliefs and rituals in the region.
