New archaeological discovery in Minya revives the secrets of Al-Bahnasa in the Roman era
The Spanish archaeological mission affiliated with the University of Barcelona and the Institute of the Ancient Near East, headed by Dr. Maite Mascort and Dr. Esther Pons Mellado, has successfully uncovered a Roman-era tomb in the Al-Bahnasa area in Minya Governorate during its excavation work at the site.
The excavation revealed a number of Roman-era mummies some wrapped in linen decorated with geometric patterns.
Along with wooden coffins. The team also discovered three golden tongues and another made of copper, as well as evidence of the use of gold leaf on some mummies.
Dr. Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that this discovery provides new insights into funerary practices in the city of Al-Bahnasa during the Greek and Roman periods. He also noted that the mission uncovered a rare papyrus inside one of the mummies, containing a text from Book Two of the Iliad by Homer, which includes a description of the participants in the Greek campaign against Troy, known as the “Catalogue of Ships.” This discovery adds an important literary and historical dimension to the site.
Mr. Mohamed Abdel-Badie, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, He added that excavation work east of Ptolemaic Tomb No. (67), discovered during the 2024 season, led to the opening of a trench containing three rooms built of limestone, of which only limited remains survive.
He explained that in the first room, a stone slab and a large jar containing cremated human remains of an adult were found, Along with the bones of an infant and the head of an animal from the feline family, all wrapped in pieces of textile. The second room contained a similar jar with the cremated remains of two individuals, in addition to bones of an animal from the same family.
To the south of the site, small terracotta and bronze figurines were discovered, including figures representing the god Harpocrates as a horseman and a small statue of Cupid.
Dr. Hassan Amer, Professor of Archaeology at the Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University, and Director of the mission’s excavations, stated that work in Tomb No. (65) revealed golden and copper tongues, along with several Roman mummies and painted wooden coffins inside an underground burial chamber (hypogeum). However, these were found in a deteriorated condition due to ancient looting.
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