More than 30 tombs have been excavated in Aswan, an ancient city on the Nile River. Tombs dating back to the Grecian-romese period reveal clues about people who lived in this bustling trading port.
According to Live Science, archaeologists have discovered the remains of families that could be buried together; coffins; cardboard or foam materials made from recycled foam or fabric; clay vases decorated with grape leaves; and offerings such as altars.
Ms. patrizia Piacentini, Egyptian and archaeologist at the University of Milan (Italy), said that it was a rich place, an important place for all those who intended to trade between North Africa and subtropical Africa, and a historical site of ancient Egypt.
Archaeologists know that the tombs date from the late Greek and Roman periods (about 332 BC to 395 AD).
Researchers have found steps of ancient tombs divided into many levels on the hill near the modern mausoleum of Aga Khan III.
The mausoleum was built in stone at a vertical height of at least 10 floors and was unlike any other tomb found in Egypt during that time, usually about two to three floors high.
The tombs were built around 900 years between the 6th century BC and the 2nd or 3rd century AD.
This period includes the Persian Dynasty (525 to 404 BC), the Ptolemaic Dynasty of Greece and finally the Roman Dynasty.
The upper class at that time occupied the tombs on the hillsides, followed by the lower middle class.
According to a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the analysis showed that 30- 40% of the remains in the newly discovered tombs were children from birth to 2 years old.
Ms. Piacentini said: In fact, we have found many families, including mothers, fathers and children. Maybe there was a disease that killed the whole family or one person after another."
The team also found two sets of remains that they initially thought were of mother and child, but careful analysis later showed that these were brothers buried with their parents.
To learn more about the cause of death, the research team worked with doctors at the University Hospital in Aswan to conduct analysis such as X-ray, cat ngang ngan and Andrology. The results showed that anemia and infectious diseases were the most common causes of death at that time, even among the richest.
Looking at the bones of the remains, doctors confirmed that some people with tuberculosis, the disease that may have killed an entire family. The research team is conducting a biometric analysis to understand more about the diseases that were infectious to humans at that time.
This discovery is very special and promising with many new aspects that we are trying to explore, said Piacini.
Currently, the research team has maped at least 300 graves in the cemetery area with an area of about 20,000 square meters.
