Egyptian Archaeological Mission Finds Coins, Shabti Dolls in Damietta

The Egyptian archaeological mission working in Tel el-Deir archeological site in Damietta unearthed seven gold coins dating back to the Byzantine Empire and a collection of Shabti dolls with inscriptions of King Psamtik II.

Head of the Ancient Egyptian Antiquities Sector Ayman Ashmawy said all the coins were minted by word (Conop), which means Constantinople, the Roman empire's capital.

"The archaeological mission also found remains of skeletons that contained wonderful amulets for ancient Egyptian gods," Ashmawy noted.

Meanwhile, the head of the archaeological mission Dr. Nadya Khadr said that one of the discovered coins had inscriptions of Byzantine Emperor Flavius Phocas Augustus, who ruled from the period between 602 and 610 AD.

She added that five coins had inscriptions of Emperor Heraclius and his son, while the last one had inscriptions of Emperor Constantine II, who ruled from 648 to 668 AD.

Tel el-Deir is a huge cemetery, which was used to bury the dead through the different eras from the late era of ancient Egyptian civilization, specifically the era of the 26th Dynasty through the Greek era and then the Roman era to the Byzantine era.

Contributed by Hassan Al-Khawaga