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Archaeologists Unearth a Marble Aphrodite, a Pharaoh's Cartouche and a Roman Basilica, All in One Ancient Egyptian City
Key takeaways
- They include a marble head from a statue of Aphrodite, remains of a Roman basilica and a pharaoh’s cartouche.
- According to a translated statement from Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the artifacts come from the site of Ehnasiya el Medina—an ancient city also known by its Roman name, Heracleópolis Magna.
- According to the statement, it acted as Egypt’s capital during the ninth and tenth dynasties, between about 2118 and 1980 B.C.E.
They include a marble head from a statue of Aphrodite, remains of a Roman basilica and a pharaoh’s cartouche.
According to a translated statement from Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the artifacts come from the site of Ehnasiya el Medina—an ancient city also known by its Roman name, Heracleópolis Magna.
Ehnasiya’s history stretches back millennia. According to the statement, it acted as Egypt’s capital during the ninth and tenth dynasties, between about 2118 and 1980 B.C.E. One of the artifacts found during the recent dig is a stone block carved with the cartouche—a symbol representing a name—of pharaoh Senusret III. He reigned nearly 4,000 years ago, between about 1837 and 1819 B.C.E., during the 12th dynasty of Egypt’s Middle Kingdom period. The inscribed stone also lists Senusret’s coronation date, birth names and the cartouche of Osiris Na Rief, a locally favored deity.