A joint Egyptian-French archaeological mission, composed of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and Paul Valéry University Montpellier, has uncovered a group of paintings, inscriptions, and miniature images of ancient kings, including Amenhotep III, Thutmose IV, Psamtik II, and Apries, during the implementation of the photographic archaeological survey project for the first time under the waters of the Nile in Aswan.
The project aimed to study the rock inscriptions located between the Aswan Reservoir and the High Dam, which were discovered in the 1960s during the campaign to save the Nubian antiquities to build the High Dam and had not been studied before.
Islam Salim, Director General of the Department of Underwater Antiquities at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said that the mission is currently working on producing 3D models of the discovered inscriptions and studying them; in preparation for their scientific publication to protect and preserve them.
He added that the archaeological survey work indicates the possibility of discovering new inscriptions and historical information about the history of ancient Egypt in the 18th dynasty, especially the reign of King Thutmose IV and King Amenhotep III, as well as kings from the late period in the reign of King Psamtik II and King Apries.
Hisham Al-Lithy, Head of the Sector for Conservation and Registration of Egyptian Antiquities at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, stated that the mission used all modern diving, archaeological survey, underwater photography and video, and photogrammetry techniques, as well as archaeological drawing, in order to identify and document the remaining rock inscriptions on the surface of the rocks, whether underwater or partially submerged in the Nile waters.
