Two sandstone stele discovered in Egypt's Aswan

Egyptian archaeologists have discovered two ancient sandstone stele in Upper Egypt's province of Aswan, Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities said Sunday.

Stele of Seti I [Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities]

This discovery was made by the Egyptian archaeological mission at the Kom Ombo Temple in Aswan.

According to Mostafa Waziri, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, the first stele belongs to Seti I of the 19th Dynasty, who ruled Egypt from 1290 to 1279 BC, while the other one belongs to Ptolemy IV who ruled Egypt from 221 to 204 BC.

Seti stele inscription detail [Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities]

The first stele is 2.3 metres long and 1 metre wide, while the other is 3.25 metres long and 1.15 metres wide. Both measure 30 cm thick, Waziri said.

The first stele was found broken into two pieces but the drawings and inscriptions were still in good condition, he noted.

Stele of Seti I [Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities]

"The second one was found broken into several pieces but our restoration team at the ministry repaired and assembled them," Waziri added.

The first stele shows Seti I standing in front of ancient Egyptian gods Horus and Sobek, with the sun above as a symbol of protection. As for the second, it portrays Ptolemy IV, his wife and Egyptian deities.

Ptolemy stele inscription detail [Credit: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities]

On Sept. 16, Egypt announced the discovery of a sandstone Sphinx statue during an excavation at the Kom Ombo Temple.

Two days later, it revealed the discovery of a sandstone sarcophagus with a mummy inside near Aga Khan Mausoleum on the west bank of Aswan.

Over past years, Egypt has witnessed several big archaeological discoveries, including pharaonic tombs, statues, coffins, mummies, burial sites and funerary gardens.

Source: Xinhua [October 01, 2018]