Bronze Coins, Pottery Vessels, and Archaeological Finds Confirm Damietta’s Role as a Center for International Trade Throughout History
During excavation work at the Tell el-Deir cemetery in New Damietta, an Egyptian archaeological mission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) has uncovered 63 mudbrick tombs and some simple burials containing a collection of gold flakes from the 26th Dynasty of the Late Period, as well as a number of bronze coins from the Ptolemaic period.
Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the SCA, stated that this discovery comes within the framework of the directives of the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities to pay greater attention to Egyptian archaeological missions and enable them to uncover more of the secrets of ancient Egyptian civilization.
He explained that the architectural layout of the discovered tombs is one of the common models known and spread in ancient Egypt during the Late Period, which confirms the historical importance of this discovery, which may be the beginning of re-dating an important historical period for the city of Damietta. Moreover, what was found from archaeological finds from the 26th Dynasty confirms the completion of the historical sequence of the Tell el-Deir cemetery and the important commercial role of the Damietta site throughout different historical periods.
For his part, Dr. Ayman Ashmawy, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector, said that a collection of funerary amulets, shabti figurines, pottery vessels, and remains of simple architectural elements were found inside these tombs, in addition to a pottery jar containing 38 bronze coins from the Ptolemaic period, and a group of imported and local pottery vessels that shed light on the trade exchange between Damietta and the cities of the Mediterranean coast.
Mr. Kotb Fawzy, Head of the Central Department of Antiquities of Lower Egypt and Sinai and Head of the archaeological mission, indicated that the mission also succeeded in uncovering a massive mudbrick tomb that includes a number of burials of a high social status, inside which a collection of gold flakes were found that embody the religious symbols and deities of ancient Egypt, as well as funerary amulets of exceptional craftsmanship in terms of the skill of manufacture and the splendor and diversity of their manufacturing materials.
