Untouched 2,500-Year-Old Treasure Trove of Egyptian Gold Discovered

Many gold objects and treasures were found within dozens of burials and tombs. Experts were stunned to find that these treasures had been untouched for more than 2,500 years — a feat that isn’t seen much in Egypt, where ancient people often looted burial grounds.

Archaeologists believe the burial site dates to the 26th Dynasty, which was between 644 and 525 BCE.

Inside these tombs, gold foils, miniature canopic jars, amulets and scarabs were discovered. Therefore, the site has already revealed quite a lot to researchers.

The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the discovery of seven gold coins at the site in 2019. Three years later, the ministry announced the discovery of 20 tombs. The tombs contained gold foil figures depicting Egyptian deities. The figures portrayed the goddess Bastet, who was believed to guide people in the afterlife, and Horus, who was a symbol of protection.

This latest discovery was made in the many mudbrick chambers that contained treasures alongside the deceased.

Researchers found gold coins that date back to the Byzantine period. There were also ushabti statues engraved with the inscription of King Psamtik II from the 26th dynasty. However, the necropolis remained in use throughout the ages of the Romans and the Byzantines.

This makes this find quite rare, as the looting of tombs was common even back in ancient Egypt. To find intact burials with gold and treasure still around the deceased is incredibly rare.

The tombs are thought to date back to the Late Period of Ancient Egypt, which lasted from 664 B.C. to 332 B.C. In some of the tombs, researchers discovered a “huge” tomb containing people who seemed to have been of a high social class.

They also found ushabti figurines that were to serve the dead in the afterlife, as well as scarabs and amulets to protect the dead.

Because looters haven’t messed with these burial chambers, researchers can better understand ancient Egyptians, their culture and their funerary customs.

Rather interestingly, researchers have found that 63 mudbrick tombs are a part of this necropolis, revealing many simpler burials in the area.

Now, it seems to be the final resting place of both those of higher status in ancient times, as well as those who had humbler, poorer lives.

Conop means Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Dr Nadia Khidr, head of the archaeological mission, said one of the coins had an inscription depicting the Emperor Phocas, who ruled the Byzantine Empire from 602 A.D. to 610 A.D.

The inscriptions on the coins start at the reign of the Byzantine emperor Phocas. There were five gold coins that depicted Emperor Heraclius and his son Constantine the Elder. The last coin depicted the emperor Constantine II, who ruled Egypt from 648 to 668 A.D.

The coffins inside the tombs were made of fine limestone depicting human faces. These were probably depictions of the deceased. These coffins were transferred to the Great Egyptian Museum.

Most notably, 38 bronze coins were discovered in a ceramic jar that appears to be from the Ptolemaic dynasty.

This remarkable find has led researchers to believe that Damietta was a very important necropolis and commercial hub for hundreds of years during ancient times.

Archaeologists are now hoping to learn more from these discoveries — and hopefully find more remarkable finds in future excavations.

The necropolis has a “great deal of information” about Egyptian history, according to Salima Ikram, a professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo. The type of objects in the different tombs show the complex web of social class during the period.

Salima Ikram said: “Based on the kind of objects, especially the gold amulets, one can see that this was a wealthy necropolis, and obviously the city attached to it had a great deal of social stratification.” The researchers could see the buried people were of different social classes based on what they found in the tombs.

“The burials document a wide range of funerary techniques within the same cemetery precinct. This, together with the discovery of gold foil amulets in the shape of Egyptian deities and coin hordes, also illustrates a dichotomous in the wealth and status of the individuals buried here,” Corcoran said.  

The Tel el-Deir necropolis shows that the area was a foreign trade center throughout different historical periods. We know this because of the high level of craftsmanship of the artifacts. It is also clear that some pottery vessels were imported to Egypt from overseas.

In July, archaeologists uncovered a collection of ancient Egyptian artworks and inscriptions hidden below the River Nile. The Egyptian-French group found them near the city of Aswan, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

Spanning several historical periods, we can see part of the depth and breadth of Ancient Egyptian culture. It is a fresh reminder of the vibrancy of a distant historical period.