Day after day, Egypt stuns the world with new archaeological discoveries.
Egypt is exemplifying its ability to retain many secrets of history and that its land is still full of antiquities and wonders of civilization.
The year 2022 was marked by many distinguished archaeological discoveries.
There were also many recoveries made of many antiquities from abroad.
Below are the year’s harvest of archaeological discoveries and recovered antiquities.
1-Wadi Al-Nasb building in South Sinai (January 2022):
In January, the remains of a building were uncovered for the leader of the Egyptian mining missions in Sinai during the Middle Kingdom era (1710-2050 BC).
One of the rooms in the building contains a workshop that displays stones for forming turquoise with large quantities of copper equivalent to 100,000 tons.
2-An ancient cemetery west of Aswan (January 2022):
In January as well, a joint Egyptian-Italian archaeological mission found an archaeological cemetery dating back to the Greco-Roman era in the vicinity of the Aga Khan Mausoleum in western Aswan.
The cemetery consists of two parts, the first is above the ground, and the second is carved in the rock.
The cemetery includes four burial chambers, inside which 20 mummies were found.
3-Cache of embalming materials in Abusir (February 2022):
In February, rare materials for mummification were found in the western part of the Abu Sir cemetery in Giza Governorate. There were also 370 pieces of large-sized pottery vessels, dating back to the 26th Dynasty.
4- Luxor Temple excavations (February 2022):
The Egyptian archaeological mission operating in the Luxor Temple found a group of important royal antiquities during excavations in the areas close to the temple precincts.
These were rare antique paintings that bring together the two kings, Thutmose IV and Amenhotep II, as they offer offerings to Amun.
- A large quantity of lentil and wheat seeds.
- A huge furnace that was used to melt metals.
- Sacrificial vessels made of limestone.
- A painting from the Ptolemaic period depicting King Ptolemy I.
5- Tal al-Kidwa Wells in North Sinai (February 2022):
In the Tal Al-Kidwa area in North Sinai, an Egyptian archaeological mission discovered a group of five water wells from the lost Horus Road (the Horus War Road, which is the oldest road in Sinai and connects Egypt and Palestine with a length of 220 km). These were located outside the walls of Tal al-Kidwa Fortress.
6-Administrative center at Kom Ombo Temple in Aswan (March 2022):
An Egyptian-Austrian joint mission in the Kom Ombo temple in Aswan, found an administrative center dating back to the First Intermediate Period of Egypt. Inside, 20 conical silos, for storing grain, were discovered.
7-Pottery workshop in Alexandria (April 2022):
A workshop for the manufacture of pottery vessels (amphoras), dating back to the beginnings of the Roman era, was uncovered during excavations carried out by the Egyptian archaeological mission along with the Supreme Council of Antiquities at Taba Matouh site, west of Alexandria.
A group of ovens, two of which are carved into the rock were also discovered.
8-The Great Cache in Saqqara (May 2022):
This is the largest discovery of 2022, as the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities described it as the largest cache in the excavation area in Saqqara, and included the following:
- 150 bronze statues.
- 250 wooden sarcophagi, dating back to -500 BC.
- A set of ritual utensils for the goddess Isis.
- A bronze statue of Imhotep without a head.
- A papyrus containing chapters from the Book of the Dead, including collections of funerary texts to guide the dead in the afterlife.
9-Temples and tombs of Sohag (May 2022):
The Egyptian archaeological mission operating in the Jabal al-Haridi area in Sohag uncovered a checkpoint and observation point from the era of King Ptolemy III. The discovery included:
- Temples and tombs dating back to the Ptolemaic period between 332 BC and 30 BC.
- Checkpoints and observation points from the era of King Ptolemy III (a brick building that looks like a tower).
- A temple of the goddess Isis, dating back to the era of King Ptolemy III (Eurgetes), at a length of 33 meters and a width of 14 meters.
- A limestone purification basin and a votive plaque for the temple.
- Five pottery pieces with writings in the demotic script.
- Thity-eight coins dating back to the Roman era.
- Part of the seated foot of King Ramesses II in Luxor Temple, to complete the statue.
10-Granite blocks of King Khufu in the Temple of the Sun (June 2022):
The joint Egyptian-German archaeological mission discovered the following, in Heliopolis:
- Granite blocks from the reign of King Khufu in the Temple of the Sun.
- Foundations of a courtyard of a temple.
- Altars from the New Kingdom and the Late Period of ancient Egypt.
11-Gerza Cemetery discoveries in Fayoum (December 2022)
The Egyptian archaeological mission working in the Gerza cemetery in Fayoum uncovered:
- A huge funerary building from the Ptolemaic and Roman eras.
- The portraits of mummies, or better known as the Fayoum mummy portraits.
- A rare terracotta statue of Isis-Aphrodite in one of the burials inside a wooden coffin.
Egyptian antiquities recovered in 2022
Egypt recovered many artifacts from around the world in 2022, most notably:
- Six artifacts from the Metropolitan Museum.
- Part of a wooden coffin covered with a layer of colored plaster depicting the face of a woman.
- A limestone plate with hieroglyphs inscriptions.
- A piece of linen decorated with colorful drawings that tells the story of the crossing of the Red Sea, divided into five small pieces.
- A bronze statue of a man kneeling.
- A cabin made of limestone decorated with colorful carvings of the chief musician.
- A funerary painting from the Fayoum portraits depicting a woman from the Roman era.
- Nine rare artifacts, including a piece of gold coin dating back to the Ptolemaic era.
