The ancient tomb of a military commander has been uncovered in Egypt, reported the country’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The burial site belonged to a high-ranking leader who served under King Ramesses III, who is considered to be the last pharaoh of Egypt’s New Kingdom to have wielded substantial power.
Ancient Tomb Dates Back to King Ramesses III
The military commander’s tomb was discovered at the Tell Roud Iskander site in Egypt’s Ismailia Governorate. The burial site is comprised of a mud-brick structure with a burial chamber and three adjoining rooms with walls coated in white plaster. Archaeologists uncovered a fascinating array of artifacts inside the tomb. These include bronze arrowheads, painted alabaster vessels, a collection of beads and colored stones, a small ivory box, and a ceremonial scepter indicating the military commander’s high rank.
They also found a gold ring engraved with the cartouche of King Ramesses III, suggesting the tomb dates back to his reign—about 1184 BCE to 1153 BCE. The location of the tomb also suggests that, during the New Kingdom era, the area played an important role in military strategy. “The site was crucial in securing Egypt’s eastern borders, with fortresses and strongholds built for defense,” Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary-general of the Egyptian Council of Antiquities, told Heritage Daily.
Commander’s Tomb Also Contained Human Remains
Archaeologists also found a human skeleton inside the commander’s tomb. The remains were found covered in cartonnage—a material similar to papier-mâché that was used to make funerary masks—which suggests that the commander’s tomb was reused after the original burial. In the surrounding area of Tell Roud, archaeologists also unearthed several other individual and mass burials. These include graves from the Greco-Roman and Late Roman Periods, as well as Egypt’s Late Period, further underscoring the site’s long history of burials.
The discovery of the military commander’s tomb is the latest in a string of headlines regarding ancient Egyptian archaeological discoveries. Last month, an Egyptian-American archaeological team announced their discovery of a mysterious pharaonic tomb in Abydos. In February, the long-lost tomb of King Thutmose II was touted as the first royal burial to be discovered in Egypt since King Tut.
