Subscribe now for full access and no adverts
A small white marble head of a Ptolemaic princess or queen has been discovered in a foundation deposit at the Taposiris Magna Temple by an Egyptian–Dominican mission. The team believes the queen, shown with a ‘melon’ hairstyle and wearing a royal diadem, depicts Cleopatra VII, but this has been disputed by other researchers, as the facial features do not correspond with other depictions of her. Cleopatra VII does, however, appear on many of the 337 coins uncovered in the deposit found beneath the southern enclosure wall. The deposit also contained a limestone bust of a king wearing a nemes headdress, ceremonial pottery vessels, oil lamps, a bronze ring dedicated to Hathor, and a scarab amulet inscribed with the phrase ‘The justice of Ra has arisen’. Pottery sherds date the temple to the late Ptolemaic Period.
The remains of a Greek temple from the 4th century BC have been uncovered at the site, too, and a large necropolis of 20 catacombs. Submerged areas of the site are also being investigated and have so far revealed large amounts of pottery and human remains.
Text: Sarah Griffiths / All images: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
You must be logged in to post a comment.