The joint Egyptian-Italian archaeological mission, operating around the Aga Khan Mausoleum, west of Aswan, has made a remarkable discovery by unearthing several previously unknown family tombs dating back to the Late, Greek, and Roman periods, according to Dr. Mohammed Ismail Khaled, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
This discovery is highly significant as it adds a new historical dimension to the Aga Khan region. Some of these tombs still contain parts of mummies and remains of funerary objects, providing valuable information about that period and the prevalent diseases, suggesting there could still be more tombs to discover in the area.
Dr. Ayman Ashmawy, head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, noted that approximately 33 tombs have been discovered, all belonging to the Late, Greek, and Roman periods. Research conducted on the remains of the mummies reveals that between 30% and 40% of the buried were young people or newborns up to early adulthood. Regarding the tomb architecture, some have a vaulted entrance leading to an open courtyard surrounded by adobe walls, while others are directly excavated into the mountain rock.
Dr. Abdel Monem Saeed, General Supervisor of Aswan and Nubia Antiquities and Director of the archaeological mission on the Egyptian side, reported that several mummies have been found, including an adult, possibly a woman, and a child who likely died between the first and second years of life. Both bodies are still together inside a stone sarcophagus, and the mission plans to study their relationship in the coming months. Colorful cartonnage remains, clay and stone figures, wooden sarcophagi, and offering tables have also been found.
Dr. Saeed suggested that the middle class of the Aswan island population might have been buried in this part of the necropolis, while the upper class occupied the upper part.
Multiple studies and X-ray analyses using advanced technology have been conducted to obtain a complete image of the mummies, including the shape of the face, sex, age at death, and whether the death was caused by an organic disease.
Dr. Patrizia Piacentini, Professor of Egyptian Archaeology at the University of Milan and Director of the mission on the Italian side, indicated that preliminary studies of the mummies show that some died in youth and others from newborn to early adulthood.
Infectious diseases and bone disorders were also identified, evidenced by signs of amputation in the pelvic bone of some adult women due to bone trauma. Some mummies showed signs of anemia, malnutrition, respiratory diseases, tuberculosis, and osteoporosis. Additionally, cases of death in old age with severe bone diseases were observed.
Dr. Piacentini confirmed that the mission will continue its work at the site, aiming to discover more about this important archaeological site, and to continue unraveling the mysteries of life and death in the ancient civilizations that inhabited Aswan.
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