Ancient Tombs with Golden Tongues Found at Egypt’s Marina El Alamein
Archaeologists have uncovered 18 ancient tombs and a large group of burial objects at Marina El Alamein, an ancient city on Egypt’s northwestern Mediterranean coast. The finds add fresh detail to one of Egypt’s best preserved coastal sites and show how Egyptian and Greek customs lived side by side for hundreds of years.
The latest excavation brings the total number of tombs found at Marina El Alamein to 44 since the site first came to light during construction work in 1986. Researchers also exposed new parts of the ancient city. Earlier digs found streets, homes, public buildings, a harbor, shops, and large burial grounds, showing a busy port with close links across the Mediterranean.
The new cemetery holds 11 rock cut tombs, known as hypogea, reaching about eight meters below ground. Seven more tombs stand above ground and were built from limestone. Several burial rooms stayed sealed behind heavy stone slabs for more than 2,000 years. Their contents stayed in place, giving researchers a rare look at ancient burial practices.
The team also found many simple burials around the cemetery. These graves point to people from different social groups living in the city. One former water well had later become a burial place. The change shows older Egyptian funeral customs stayed in use during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, even as Greek culture spread through the region.
One of the biggest finds was a granite sarcophagus measuring 2.5 meters long. The original lid still covered the coffin when archaeologists reached the burial chamber. Human remains found inside are now under study. Nearby, researchers uncovered parts of a plaster figure linked to Egyptian religion. Some reports describe the figure as the child god Harpocrates, while others identify a plaster sphinx. Both point to the lasting place of Egyptian beliefs in the city.
The excavation also produced a wide range of burial goods. Researchers recovered pottery vessels, amphorae, oil lamps, plates, limestone altars, stone basins, and parts of tomb buildings. Many of the pottery pieces survived almost whole after centuries underground.
One object stands out because of its link to ancient Egyptian belief. A limestone offering altar was carved in the shape of a false door. Ancient Egyptians believed such doors formed a path between the world of the living and the dead.
Other finds include an unfinished marble statue believed to show the goddess Aphrodite, a limestone funerary carving of a seated man holding a bird, and several glass tear bottles, often called lacrimaria, placed inside graves during the period.
Researchers also recovered 24 thin gold pieces placed inside the mouths of several people buried at the site. These “golden tongues” formed part of funeral rites during the time. Ancient belief held that the dead needed the gift of speech in the next life. One gold piece carries the Eye of Horus, a well known Egyptian symbol tied to safety and healing.
Marina El Alamein lies about 100 kilometers west of Alexandria and is widely linked with the ancient city of Leukaspis, named by the Greek writer Strabo. The city grew from the Hellenistic period through Byzantine rule. Trade helped the port thrive between the first and third centuries CE, bringing people and ideas from Egypt and across the Mediterranean.
Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities says work at the site will continue as part of a plan to welcome visitors. Planned additions include a visitor center, walking paths, electric shuttle routes, a museum storage building, an office, and an open air theater. Officials expect the project to finish during the first half of next year.
By Dario Radley.
