Archaeologists have recently found 36 burials with 30 to 40 mummies in each one.
The tombs were apparently reused for up to 900 years. Several of them also contained families who may have died due to infectious diseases.
City of Aswan
The new tomb discoveries were made in the city of Aswan. When it was initially established over 4,500 years ago, the city played a crucial role in trade, quarrying, and military zones. It is situated on the Nile River's east bank.
It housed quarries that offered granite to several ancient Egyptian monuments that still stand today. It was also used as a military post for the British, Turks, and Romans.
Originally named Swenett, the city was later renamed Swan, which translates to "market." This is because it is situated on a border where items are being shipped.
The city's population included ancient Persian, Egyptian, Roman, Greek, and subtropical Africans.
Individuals came from the west and the east. The area was frequented as it was the border. Southern products also reached the city and were distributed to other places.
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36 New Tombs Found
According to archaeologist Patrizia Piacentini from the University of Milan, the burial site stretches almost 270,000 feet. It also contained as many as ten terraces of ancient tombs that were organized on a hillside in layers. This was close to the Mausoleum of Aga Khan III.
Piacentini explained that this shows that people who used to live in the city covered the hillside with tombs, making it quite like a "City of the Dead."
The first tomb that was found was discovered in 2019. It contained four mummies within it. Two of these mummies were thought to be a mother-child duo who were buried with each other.
Piacentini explained that, at first, they thought that the mummies represented a mother-child duo. However, according to new CT scans, they were actually a duo of children.
They also recently found a woman close to them who could have been their mother. They also discovered a man's remains, who could have been the children's father.
Another discovery was the mummy of a child and woman. The child may have died at one or two years of age. Both of their bodies were glued to one another within a stone coffin.
Their excavation project also showed that burials were done according to the class of the people. They observed that elites were positioned on the hill's top. These included the remains of Aswan's general-in-chief.
The middle class was observed to have been buried below.
The 36 newfound tombs were also observed to date between B.C. 600 and 200 A.D or 300 A.D. Such a period is rich in history, covering Persian rule, the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty, and Roman rule.
According to Ayman Ashmawy, who is the head of the Egyptian Antiquities Division of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, the mummy studies showed that 30% to 40% of the buried individuals passed away during their youth. They mostly died as adolescents or newborns.
They also discovered several families, noting that there could have been an infection that killed them.
The team is hopeful to go on with their efforts to uncover the diverse population history of the city of Aswan in Egypt.
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