Amazing images showing ancient burials have been unearthed in Egypt, with clues to centuries of cultural change

Cairo – Egyptian archaeologists say they have found remains and a large number of artifacts in part of the Greek and Roman tombs dating back more than 2,300 years, revealing the evolution of burial practices over six centuries and showing the importance of the site itself.

Burials found at the site of Tell Kom Aziza, in the Nile Delta in the northern Egyptian province of Beheira, near the Mediterranean coast, from about 332 BC to 395 AD

“This is a very important discovery because it sheds light and reveals more details about the site,” Nevine El-Aref, media adviser to the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, told CBS News. “It is a unique example that shows the transformation of a settlement into a large burial ground covering different ancient periods.”

Excavations revealed burial practices ranging from simple pit burials, bodies placed directly on the ground, graves covered with mud bricks and burials in painted concrete boxes.

There was also an individual and collective burial, according to Dr. Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and burials oriented on both the north-south and east-west axes.

The hands of those who were buried were also separate. Some people were buried with their hands folded or crossed in the pelvic position, while others were placed in the “Osirian pose,” with their arms crossed over their chests, or their arms extended and aligned around their thighs, El-Leithy said.

“This difference can be interpreted in many ways: It may reflect social differences between the people being buried, differences in customs, or limited development within the same burial culture,” Khaled Abdel Ghany Farhat, head of the team, told CBS News.

Among the important finds were the remains of two wild boars, which are rarely found in ancient Egyptian burial sites. Pigs also represented Seth (or Setha), a god associated with chaos and violence in ancient Egyptian history.

“Although it is not possible at the moment to determine with certainty whether these remains represent the deliberate burial of animals, the remains of domestic and economic activities, or something with cultural significance, their presence in this context requires direct archaeological evidence to link the cultural and religious importance of pigs in ancient Egypt,” Mohamed Abdel Badi, Head of the Egyptian news section of CBS.

Sherds of pottery dating from Egypt’s Old Kingdom – the time when the great towers were built, between 2686 and 2181 BC – to the Greco-Roman period that followed 2,000 years later, were also found at the site.

The most common household objects, including amphorae, burial jars, bread molds and bread trays, indicate continuous or repeated use of the area not just for centuries, but for millennia.

“The excavation work at the site is ongoing to reveal more secrets, to understand the history of the area and its development over time, and to put together all the pieces of the puzzle to discover the patterns of human activity in the area,” El-Aref, of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, told CBS News.