Researchers Uncovered An Egyptian City Of The Dead That’s Helping To Piece Together More About The Ancient City Of Aswan
In 2019, researchers stumbled upon a sprawling ancient Egyptian burial site in Aswan, a city that once thrived along the Nile River.
The site came to be known as the “City of the Dead.” It takes up more than 270,000 square feet and contains the buried remains of hundreds of people from as far back as the 6th century B.C.E.
Over the past five years, a team of Italian and Egyptian archaeologists have been excavating the area.
Recently, they discovered at least 33 more tombs, each containing the remains of 30 to 40 individuals.
Many of the people who were laid to rest there had likely died from infectious diseases. The latest discovery tells experts more about the history of the ancient city of Aswan.
Aswan was a major center of economic and political power about 4,500 years ago. Over time, much historical information on Aswan was lost.
However, the massive burial site, which was used for 900 years, is teeming with potential information that can be used to piece together the city’s background.
Hundreds of tombs were found on a hill stacked in terraces near the mausoleum of Aga Khan III. The first tomb uncovered at the site contained a family of four mummies—two children and a mother and father.
After further investigation, the archaeologists realized that the dead were buried according to their social class.
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The elites were buried at the top of the hill, while the middle class was buried below them. Analysis of the remains revealed that approximately 30 to 40 percent of the buried individuals were infants or young adults.
The latest discovery consisted of 36 tombs dating back between the 6th century B.C.E. and the 9th century C.E.
Among the remains were a woman and child in a stone coffin. Their bodies were attached to each other.
Other finds included wooden coffins, clay and stone figurines, amphorae, offering tables, and the remains of colorful cartonnage, which is a material created from papyri or fabric that is similar to paper-mâché.
To determine how the individuals died, the research team enlisted the help of doctors at the University Hospital in Aswan to perform X-rays, CT scans, and DNA analysis.
The tests showed that infectious diseases and anemia were the most common causes of death, even among the affluent.
By examining the backbones of some of the mummies, they found signs of malnutrition, osteoporosis, tuberculosis, and respiratory diseases.
A number of the remains showed evidence of skeletal disorders through amputations in adult women’s pelvises.
Investigations into the site will be ongoing as researchers try to learn more about ancient Aswan and its inhabitants.
To this day, Aswan continues to be home to tens of thousands of people. During ancient times, a wide variety of people inhabited the city, including the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Persians, and subtropical Africans. It served as an early example of a society that blended multiple cultures.
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