Archaeologists discovered stone carvings depicting several pharaohs during an underwater expedition near Aswan, Egypt.
During a diving expedition in the Nile River, archaeologists in Egypt discovered rock carvings with depictions of several ancient Egyptian pharaohs along with hieroglyphic inscriptions.
A joint French-Egyptian team discovered the underwater sculptures south of Aswan in an area that was flooded when the Aswan High Dam was built between 1960 and 1970.
Before the floods, there was a major effort, led by UNESCO, to record and relocate as many archaeological remains as possible in the area. However, many artifacts could not be relocated in time and were sunk.
Aswan was important to the ancient Egyptians as it was at one time close to the country’s southern border, and there are a number of important temples nearby.
Among them is Abu Simbel, a site that has four colossal statues of Ramses II (lived 1303-1213 BC), each about 21 meters tall. Aswan is also home to the Philae temple complex, where the last Egyptian hieroglyphic inscription was written in 394 AD.
Aswan was an important place for the ancient Egyptians
The team’s work aims to identify and record surviving inscriptions and sculptures that are now underwater, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a translated statement.
Recently discovered depictions of pharaohs include those of Amenhotep III (who reigned from about 1390 to 1352 BC), Thutmose IV (who ruled from about 1400 to 1390 BC) , Psamtik II (who ruled from about 595 to 589 BC) and Apries (who ruled from about 589 to 570 BC) – rulers from the 18th and 26th dynasties, ministry officials wrote in the statement .
The statement contains little information about what the inscriptions say or what the carvings look like, but mentions that they are well preserved. More remains are likely to be found as the team’s work continues.
The remains would have been destined for transport to another area of Egypt
Jitse Dijkstra, a professor of classical and religious studies at the University of Ottawa who was not involved in the study, said the findings are interesting, but more information is needed to know their significance.
William Carruthers, a lecturer at the School of Philosophical, Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Essex in the UK, said the findings show that more remains survived the floods than UNESCO thought possible when the organization carried out the rescue campaign in the 1960s and 1970.
Alejandro Jiménez-Serrano, an archaeologist leading excavations at a necropolis near Aswan and professor of Egyptology and Near Eastern archeology at the University of Jaen in Spain, told Live Science that Aswan was an important quarry site for granite and it is possible that the newly found remains were intended for transport to another part of Egypt. Alternatively, they may have been part of the temples near Aswan.
We recommend you also read:
Bees from the time of the pharaohs, found mummified on the south-west coast of Portugal
What did the pharaohs of ancient Egypt hide inside the pyramids?
A new important discovery in Egypt: 83 pharaonic tombs
The first inscription of the Egyptian pharaohs was discovered in Saudi Arabia
Source: www.descopera.ro
