Egyptian researchers revealed, on July 4, the discovery of eighteen new tombs in the historic town of Marina el-Alamein, located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. A recent archaeological expedition has brought to light a set of artifacts essential for understanding the funeral ceremonies and cultural richness of ancient Egypt. The finds include unique gold plates, called “golden tongues”, found in the mouths of some deceased people, a granite sarcophagus still sealed, an altar decorated with funerary motifs and a partial statue of the Greek deity Aphrodite.
According to an official statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, this revelation highlights the ancient importance of Marina el-Alamein as a point of cultural connection between Egypt and the nations of the Mediterranean. The burials were identified as belonging to the Ptolemaic era, which spanned from 322 BC to 30 BC, and the Roman era, from 30 BC to 395 AD. The Ptolemaic period refers to the time when Egypt was administered by the successors of one of Alexander the Great’s military leaders. Roman influence, in turn, began with the death of Queen Cleopatra VII, marking the annexation of the territory as a province of the Roman Empire.
During the announcement of the discovery on July 4, via social media, Sharif Fathy, Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, declared that the remains found constitute “a significant scientific and archaeological contribution.” This addition is fundamental to unveil the cultural identity of the city’s ancient residents and to redefine the understanding of its role as a civilizational and cultural hub that connected Egypt to the rest of the Mediterranean. The minister also said that the government plans to make the archaeological site available for visitation, aiming to expand cultural tourism options in the area.
The symbolism behind golden tongues
Twenty-four delicate gold blades, positioned in the mouths of some of the bodies found, are the highlight of this revelation. Within the beliefs of ancient Egypt, these artifacts functioned as amulets, granting the deceased the ability to express themselves in the afterlife. This function was particularly crucial during the trial before Osiris, the deity linked to the realm of the dead and the resurrection.
Hesham Hussein, who holds the position of Undersecretary for Archeology of Lower Egypt and Sinai, stated that golden tongues represent an element that is abundantly recorded in burials from the Ptolemaic and Roman eras. He detailed that “these objects were used so that the deceased could communicate in the afterlife, especially during the trial process before Osiris, or, in a more comprehensive sense, to interact and pronounce sacred chants in the other world.”
In addition to the golden objects, experts identified a unique amulet modeled on the Eye of Horus. This emblem, closely connected to the deity Horus, was revered for its connection to defense against evil forces in ancient culture.
The remarkable conservation of the burial chambers
Archaeologists recorded the presence of eleven tombs cut directly into the rock, known as hypogeums, which are underground burial chambers excavated approximately eight meters deep. In addition to these, seven more structures built in limestone were found, located closer to the surface. Some of these buildings have remained intact and sealed since Antiquity, with their entrances blocked by massive stone slabs.
The surveys also brought to light a granite sarcophagus measuring around 2.5 meters long, found with the lid completely sealed. The human remains found inside remain under examination by the scientific team. Nearby, fragments of a sphinx covered in plaster were found, an indication that classical religious components persisted, even during phases of intense Greco-Roman influence.
At the same site, the archaeological team unearthed pieces of pottery, stone vases, altars, construction elements and multiple burial sites on the surface. Such finds illustrate the wide range of funerary rituals practiced by the city’s ancient inhabitants.
Among the discoveries, a limestone altar with a base that replicates the design of a “false door”, a distinctive element of the necropolises of ancient Egypt, deserves mention. In the context of Egyptian funerary rites, this symbolic door did not serve as a real access, but rather as a mystical portal that united the universe of the living with that of the dead. Popular belief stated that, through it, the spirit of the deceased individual received the tributes and offerings deposited by their relatives.
The cultural fusion between Egyptian and Greek influences
About a hundred kilometers west of the city of Alexandria, Marina el-Alamein prospered during the Hellenistic and Byzantine phases. Several scholars identify it as the ancestral city of Leucaspis, mentioned by the geographer Strabo. The archaeological site, which was discovered in 1986 during construction work, has revealed in recent decades a complex urban structure with roads, housing, commercial areas, a port and vast burial areas. With the most recent investigations, the total number of graves registered at the site reached 44.
Dorota Dzierzbicka, director of the Polish-Egyptian Archaeological Mission in Marina el-Alamein, pointed out that “the set of finds demonstrates that the city was a culturally heterogeneous society, where Egyptian and Greco-Roman customs were intertwined both in daily life and in burial rituals”. In the archaeologist’s view, the new evidence deepens knowledge about the coexistence of different civilizations in one of the most significant coastal urban centers of ancient Egypt.
