– /AFP
US archaeologists have unearthed more than 2,000 mummified Ptolemaic-era ram heads, along with other animal mummies and artifacts, at the temple of Ramses II at Abydos in southern Egypt.
ARCHEOLOGY – Strange Offerings. More than 2,000 mummified ram heads from the Ptolemaic period have been discovered in the temple of Ramesses II in the ancient city of Abydos in southern Egypt, authorities said Sunday, March 26.
Mummies of sheep, dogs, goats, cows, gazelles and mongooses were also exhumed by a team of American archaeologists from New York University at the site, famous for its temples and necropolis, the Department of Antiquities and Tourism said in a press release.
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According to the director of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mostafa Waziri, these discoveries will allow one to learn more about the Temple of Ramesses II and the activities that took place there between its construction under the sixth dynasty of the Old Kingdom (between 2,374 and 2,140 B.C. B.C.) and the Ptolemaic period (323 to 30 B.C.).
The remains of a palace revealed
For Professor Sameh Iskandar, head of the American mission, quoted in the same press release, these rams’ heads are “offerings” that point to “a cult dedicated to Ramses II celebrated 1,000 years after his death.”
In addition to the remains of mummified animals, the team uncovered the remains of a Sixth Dynasty palace with walls about five meters thick, as well as several statues, papyri, remains of ancient trees, leather clothing and shoes.
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550 km south of Cairo and famous in ancient times for the tomb of Osiris, god of the dead, the predynastic site of Abydos is known for its temples, particularly that of Seti 1 and its necropolises.
Egyptian authorities have recently announced archaeological finds on a regular basis, which some experts describe as announcing effects with political and economic implications, rather than scientific ones.
Because the country of almost 105 million people in a severe economic crisis is dependent on tourism, which employs two million people and generates more than 10% of GDP, to get its finances going again: its government is targeting 30 million tourists a year by 2028 compared to 13 million before Covid-19. However, many critics point to the dilapidated condition of certain archaeological sites and museums.
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