Egyptian training program leads to discovery of Ptolemaic-era tomb
A group of archaeologists found a tomb dating back to the Ptolemaic era during their participation in a training program organized by the Ministry of Antiquities in Sohag governorate.
CAIRO — An excavation training program organized by the Central Training Unit in the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, in cooperation with the Sohag Antiquities Office, has led to the discovery of a tomb dating back to the Ptolemaic era in the Akhmim area in Sohag governorate in southern Egypt.
According to archaeologists, the tomb is believed to belong to a senior statesman during the Ptolemaic era, which highlights the importance of the discovery.
An Oct. 4 statement published by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on its Facebook page quoted Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, as saying that 16 antiquities' inspectors and restoration specialists from various sectors of the Supreme Council of Antiquities took part in the training program, which was organized as part of the ministry’s plan to train the largest possible number of archaeologists and restoration specialists and to enhance their practical and scientific skills.
Mohamed Abdel Badie, the ministry's head of the Central Administration of Antiquities in Upper Egypt, said in the same statement that the discovered tomb is carved in an archaeological hill and is accessed by a staircase preceded by a courtyard that may have been built of mud bricks.
