Face of Roman Emperor and Other Discoveries from Egypt – 07/03/2023 – Science

Egyptian authorities announced on Monday (6) the discovery of a sphinx that may represent a Roman emperor near the temple of Dendera, 500 kilometers south of Cairo.

The limestone sphinx was found in a “Byzantine water tank located in a two-story tomb,” the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a statement. A “Roman stele engraved in demotic and hieroglyphs” was also discovered beside it, he added.

The stele (stone plaque with inscriptions) has yet to be deciphered to lead to the emperor’s identity, according to the Egyptian team in charge of the excavations.

Egypt has revealed a series of major archaeological discoveries in recent months, most notably at the Saqqara necropolis, near Cairo, and on the Giza plateau, home to the Pyramid of Cheops, the last of the seven wonders of the ancient world still standing.

On Thursday (2), the country also announced that it found a tunnel of nine meters inside the Pyramid of Giza that could be the way to reach the “true burial chamber of King Cheops”.

Further south, in Luxor, authorities came across the ruins of an “entire Roman city” from the first centuries of the Christian era.

For some experts, however, the succession of discoveries may have more political and economic motivation than scientific.

Egypt is experiencing a serious economic crisis and the tourism sector is one of the main drivers of its economy.