18 Ancient Tombs, Golden Tongues and Granite Sarcophagus Discovered at Marina Alamein in Egypt

18 Ancient Tombs, Golden Tongues and Granite Sarcophagus Discovered at Marina Alamein

Egyptian archaeologists have uncovered 18 previously unknown tombs, rare funerary treasures, and remarkable evidence of cultural exchange at the ancient city of Marina Alamein on Egypt's Mediterranean coast.

The discoveries were announced by Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities following excavations carried out by an Egyptian archaeological mission at the Marina archaeological site. With these latest finds, the total number of tombs identified at Marina Alamein has increased to 44 since the site was first discovered in 1986.

Among the newly uncovered burials are 11 rock-cut hypogea extending as deep as eight metres below the surface, together with seven limestone-built tombs. Several burial chambers remained sealed beneath large stone slabs, preserving archaeological deposits that had not been disturbed since antiquity.

Image Credit : Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

Archaeologists also documented numerous surface burials surrounding the cemetery, reflecting the city's diverse population during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. One particularly unusual discovery revealed an ancient water well that had later been converted into a burial chamber, demonstrating how older structures continued to be adapted for funerary purposes over time.

Excavations produced an impressive collection of artefacts, including complete pottery vessels, stone basins, limestone altars, architectural blocks, and funerary objects associated with the cemetery.

One of the excavation's most remarkable finds is a 2.5-metre-long granite sarcophagus discovered with its original lid still sealed in place. Human skeletal remains recovered from inside are currently undergoing scientific examination to learn more about the individual buried within.

Nearby, archaeologists uncovered fragments of a plaster statue depicting Harpocrates, the Egyptian god associated with silence and childhood. The discovery highlights the continued importance of traditional Egyptian religious beliefs alongside Greek and Roman cultural influences.

Another exceptional discovery includes 24 gold funerary amulets known as "golden tongues." These small gold pieces were carefully placed inside the mouths of the deceased, reflecting beliefs that they would allow the dead to speak before the gods in the afterlife. Researchers also recovered a gold Eye of Horus amulet, one of ancient Egypt's best-known protective symbols.

Additional discoveries include a limestone false-door offering altar, an unfinished marble statue believed to represent Aphrodite, a funerary sculpture showing a seated man holding a bird, and several delicate glass tear bottles associated with ancient burial customs.

Egypt's Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy, described the discoveries as an important contribution to understanding Marina Alamein's cultural identity and historical role as a bridge between Egypt and the wider Mediterranean world.

Development work at the archaeological site is continuing ahead of its planned opening to visitors. Future facilities will include a visitor centre, museum storage complex, pedestrian routes, electric shuttle transport, administrative buildings, and an open-air theatre, helping transform Marina Alamein into one of Egypt's leading archaeological tourism destinations.

Located about 100 kilometres west of Alexandria, Marina Alamein is widely identified with the ancient city of Leukaspis mentioned by the Greek geographer Strabo. Flourishing between the Hellenistic and Byzantine periods, the city served as a thriving commercial port that connected Egypt with the Mediterranean world.

The newly discovered tombs and their rich collection of artefacts provide valuable new evidence for understanding burial traditions, religious beliefs, and everyday life in one of Egypt's most important ancient coastal cities, further strengthening Marina Alamein's importance as one of the country's premier archaeological sites. 

Archaeologists Race to Save Egypt's Disappearing Desert Petroglyphs

Archaeologists are warning that thousands of prehistoric rock carvings scattered across Egypt's Western Desert are disappearing at an alarming rate as climate change, natural erosion, and human vandalism threaten one of Africa's richest collections of ancient rock art.

Researchers working in the Dakhla Oasis say the fragile petroglyphs, some dating back more than 7,000 years, are steadily being lost as increasingly harsh environmental conditions wear away the sandstone surfaces on which they were carved. At the same time, modern graffiti and deliberate vandalism are permanently damaging many of the surviving artworks.

Image Credit : Dr. Paweł Polkowski

Leading the effort to document these endangered monuments is Dr. Paweł Polkowski, head of the Dakhleh Oasis Project and researcher at the Poznań Archaeological Museum and the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

According to Dr. Polkowski, Egypt's extraordinary desert rock art is disappearing faster with each passing decade.

"There's a little less of it each year, and certainly less from decade to decade, or century to century," he explained.

A 7,000-Year-Old Open-Air Gallery

Located approximately 350 kilometers west of the Nile Valley, the Dakhla Oasis has served as a crossroads of human activity since prehistoric times. Ancient caravan routes connecting the Nile Valley with the Sahara and Libya passed through the oasis, leaving behind thousands of carvings that record changing cultures over millennia.

For more than forty years, Polish archaeologists have been documenting the area's remarkable rock art. Since becoming head of the Petroglyph Unit in 2016, Dr. Polkowski has expanded surveys across the oasis, recording approximately 350 separate rock art sites.

Some locations contain only a handful of carvings, while others preserve enormous panels featuring hundreds—or even more than a thousand—individual images.

The artwork spans an extraordinary timeline, ranging from 6000–5000 BC through the Pharaonic, Greco-Roman, Coptic, Medieval, and even modern periods. Researchers have also documented inscriptions written in hieroglyphic, Greek, Coptic, Graeco-Latin, and Arabic, illustrating thousands of years of continuous human presence in the desert.

Climate Change Is Accelerating Their Destruction

Although Egypt is famous for its pyramids and monumental temples, its rock art remains one of the country's least-recognized archaeological treasures.

Many carvings were created on Nubian sandstone, a relatively soft rock that naturally erodes over time. According to researchers, some surfaces have become so fragile they can literally be scratched with a fingernail.

Even harder iron-rich rocks are gradually deteriorating as desert winds carry abrasive sand particles that slowly wear away engraved surfaces.

Climate change has introduced an even greater danger.

The Western Desert, once among the driest environments on Earth, has experienced increasingly frequent and intense rainfall in recent years. Water penetrates cracks in the stone, accelerating weathering and causing sections of ancient carvings to flake away permanently.

Researchers fear much of this damage is irreversible, making detailed digital documentation an urgent priority before more irreplaceable artwork disappears forever.

Modern Vandalism Adds to the Threat

Natural erosion is only part of the problem.

Modern visitors continue to carve names, drawings, and messages directly over prehistoric artwork, permanently altering archaeological evidence that has survived for thousands of years.

While archaeologists acknowledge that adding new carvings beside older ones has itself been practiced throughout Egyptian history, today's graffiti is considered vandalism under modern heritage protection laws.

Researchers have documented Greco-Roman inscriptions carved over Pharaonic images, medieval graffiti added beside prehistoric animals, and even modern carvings depicting British soldiers stationed in the oasis during the First World War.

One particularly unusual discovery resembles a modern smartphone, complete with what appears to be a screen, keypad, and camera lenses—demonstrating that people continue to use these ancient rock surfaces as places of artistic expression.

Unfortunately, each new carving destroys part of the original archaeological record.

Research Delayed by Permit Restrictions

Despite the growing urgency of preserving the petroglyphs, archaeological fieldwork in Egypt's Western Desert has been severely restricted for more than a decade.

Dr. Polkowski explained that since 2014, many international research teams have struggled to obtain the security permits required to conduct excavations and documentation projects.

Although archaeological proposals continue to receive approval from Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, additional security clearances often remain pending without explanation, preventing researchers from returning to many important sites.

The delays have significantly slowed efforts to create comprehensive digital records, conduct excavations that could provide more accurate dating, and preserve one of Egypt's oldest cultural landscapes before further losses occur.

As climate change and human activity continue to reshape the desert, archaeologists believe documenting these fragile carvings has become a race against time. Every petroglyph that disappears represents another chapter of human history permanently erased from one of Africa's greatest archaeological archives.