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An Egyptian mission at Marina el-Alamein (the site of the Graeco-Roman city of Leukaspis) has discovered 11 deep rock-cut tombs and 7 limestone surface tombs, many of which are still sealed and well preserved. One of the burials was originally a water well, which was repurposed as a tomb at a later date. Finds associated with the tombs illustrate the coexistence of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman funerary traditions, with a range of Egyptian funerary artefacts (including 24 gold tongues, a plaster statue of Harpocrates, and a limestone offering table in the form of a false door) and Greek and Roman items, such as an unfinished marble statue of Aphrodite. The team also discovered a 2.5 metre (8 foot) granite sarcophagus with lid, which contained human remains, and a limestone funerary sculpture of a seated man with a bird.
Text: Sarah Griffiths / Images: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
