Ancient Egyptian grave stelae, coffins, and amulets found at Tell El-Deir funerary center

Archaeologists have uncovered a group of carved grave stelae, pottery coffins, and funerary amulets at Tell El-Deir in Egypt’s Damietta Governorate. The finds came during the current excavation season led by the Egyptian mission of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

The new evidence points to Tell El-Deir as far more than a simple burial ground. Archaeologists say the site served as a large funerary center where burial customs, religious beliefs, and social status came together over hundreds of years. The finds also add new detail to the history of cemeteries in the Nile Delta and strengthen the site’s place among the most important archaeological locations in the eastern Delta.

Excavators uncovered about 20 limestone grave stelae, each carved with great care in the shape of a human figure. Their sides and backs carry images of sacred symbols and deities linked to burial beliefs. Among them are the griffin, Agathodaemon, and Isis Thermouthis. These figures show how Egyptian religious traditions mixed with Greek and Roman ideas during later periods of Egyptian history. The quality of the carvings also points to the high social standing of the people buried there.

The team also recovered a large collection of pottery incense burners and decorated oil lamps in many shapes. They found barrel-shaped anthropoid pottery coffins, along with several funerary amulets placed with the dead. Together, these objects offer a clearer picture of burial ceremonies and the symbolic objects used during funerary rites across different periods.

Officials from the Supreme Council of Antiquities said the discoveries help trace the growth of cemeteries in the Nile Delta. They describe Tell El-Deir as a complete funerary complex with a clear social, cultural, and religious identity rather than a place used only for burials.

The site also preserves a long sequence of occupation. Archaeological layers show activity beginning in Egypt’s Late Period and continuing through the end of the Roman Period. This long record gives researchers a chance to follow changes in burial traditions, religious practices, and daily life across several centuries.

Researchers believe these finds add another piece to the history of ancient Damietta. The combination of carved grave markers, ritual objects, and pottery coffins helps map how communities in the eastern Delta honored their dead and expressed identity through funerary customs. Each new layer uncovered at Tell El-Deir adds fresh evidence for how local traditions changed while outside cultural influences became part of everyday religious life.

The excavation continues, with archaeologists expecting more finds from the site’s deep archaeological deposits. As work moves forward, Tell El-Deir is providing one of the clearest records of changing funerary traditions in the Nile Delta, helping researchers rebuild the history of settlement, belief, and burial practices in northeastern Egypt over a long span of antiquity.

More information: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities