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

Egyptian archaeologists recently unearthed an ancient cemetery at the Kom El-Khalgan archaeological site in Dakahlia Governorate, spanning from the Predynastic period to the Ptolemaic era. The oldest finds date back to the first half of the fourth millennium BCE, including simple oval pit tombs with basic pottery and seashells. Later tombs from the Second Intermediate Period to the New Kingdom featured mastabas and corniced structures, containing jewelry, amulets, bronze tools, and distinctive pottery. A mudbrick tomb from the early Eighteenth Dynasty and Ptolemaic-era simple burial pits, including a child buried in amphorae, were also discovered. Alongside the cemetery, remains of a residential area from the Second Intermediate Period were found, with mudbrick buildings, grain silos, ovens, and wavy walls. Dr. Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, stated that the discoveries offer "insight into ancient settlement patterns, funerary practices, and the way people interacted with nature in antiquity." Excavations at the site are ongoing.