Layers of history: Egypt unearths 6,000-year cemetery spanning Predynastic to Ptolemaic eras

An ancient cemetery at the Kom El-Khalgan archaeological site in Egypt's Dakahlia Governorate has yielded discoveries stretching back through millennia, from the Predynastic period to the Greco-Roman era. The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the findings, which include tombs with diverse burial positions and funerary furnishings, indicating evolving rites over time.

The oldest remains at the site date back to the Lower Egyptian prehistoric cultures of Buto I and Buto II, in the first half of the fourth millennium BCE. These early burials featured simple oval pits with pottery vessels and seashells. Later tombs, from the Second Intermediate Period through the New Kingdom era, included mastabas and tombs with cornices, containing jewelry, amulets, scarabs, bronze tools, and Tell el-Yahudiyeh style juglets.

The discovery also confirms settlement in the region during the Hyksos' reign, given its proximity to the former capital Avaris. Excavations from the Ptolemaic period revealed simple burial pits, including one where a child was interred within two reused amphorae.

Alongside the cemetery, archaeologists uncovered residential areas from the Second Intermediate Period, featuring mudbrick buildings, silos, ovens, and hearths. The surrounding area also yielded sinusoidal walls characteristic of Egyptian architecture between the Middle and New Kingdoms, along with pottery, stone tools, and numerous animal bones, providing a comprehensive glimpse into ancient life and death practices.