The Egyptian archaeological mission of the Supreme Council of Antiquities has uncovered a number of tombstones, coffins and amulets at the Tell El Deir area in Damietta Governorate during its current excavation season at the site.
Dr. Hisham El Leithy, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the discovery opens new horizons for understanding the development of cemeteries in the Egyptian Delta, confirming that Tell El Deir was not merely a burial place but an integrated funerary center reflecting a clearly defined social, cultural and religious identity. The discovery also strengthens the archaeological importance of the site as one of the most prominent in the eastern Delta, which, with its layers and archaeological evidence, can redraw the map of ancient settlement and cemeteries and reinterpret the history of Damietta Governorate in ancient times.
El Leithy noted that the council is keen to provide full support to the Egyptian mission during its work at the site, in line with the directives of Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy to facilitate the work of all archaeological missions at Egyptian sites.
Mohamed Abdel Badie, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said around 20 unique limestone tombstones were uncovered, carefully carved and depicting the human form in a refined artistic style. Their sides and backs are decorated with a range of symbols and deities with religious significance, including the griffin, the Agathodaemon and Isis-Thermouthis, iconographic elements reflecting a striking cultural interaction between Egyptian religious heritage and Greco-Roman influences, as well as indicating the distinguished social status of the tombstones' owners.
He added that the mission also uncovered a large and varied collection of pottery incense burners and decorated lamps of various shapes, along with barrel-type anthropoid pottery coffins and a number of funerary amulets. These finds offer a more complete picture of the ritual and symbolic practices associated with burial during different periods and reflect continuous development, confirming that Tell El Deir is an extended cultural zone from the Late Period until the end of the Roman era, making it a living archaeological record of changes in the social, religious and funerary landscape of the Nile Delta over long centuries of history.
