A pyramid-shaped Roman tomb with a rare stone entrance and ancient funerary texts has been uncovered at Bir al-Shaghala in Egypt’s Dakhla Oasis.
The tomb was found by an Egyptian archaeological mission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Built from mudbrick, the tomb was used for the burial of a man and his wife. Its design combines ancient Egyptian features with elements linked to the Roman period.
Excavations also produced a stone funerary stele with a Greek mourning poem, a sandstone offering table, and a sandstone purification basin. The team also found several pottery vessels and a bronze coin bearing a raised image of Roman emperor Constantine.
The tomb begins with a staircase of 14 steps leading to the main entrance. Built from sandstone in an Egyptian style, the entrance carries recessed hieroglyphic texts. The inscriptions include spells and funerary prayers linked to protection.
A cornice above the entrance features a winged sun disk and two cobras. Below it is an architectural element shaped like a bundle of reeds. The upper lintel carries a rare funerary scene showing the seventh hour of the Imy-Duat, one of ancient Egypt’s books about the afterlife.
The scene is the first example of this hour found in the tombs of the Bir al-Shaghala cemetery. Other inscriptions and scenes on both sides relate to the people buried inside the tomb.
A stone blocking the entrance also bears an Osirian figure surrounded by protective spells. The entrance leads into a mudbrick transverse hall with a vaulted roof. Part of the western side of the roof had collapsed.
Two mudbrick burial chambers sit on the right side of the hall. Their walls were covered with plaster, and a pyramid-shaped structure rises above them.
One of the most unusual finds is a funerary stele fixed to the southern wall of the pyramid structure. The rectangular stone ends in a gable shape topped by a raised sun disk.
The stele carries a 19-line funerary poem written in ancient Greek ink. The poem was dedicated to a man named Pesixtis. An initial study suggests he might have served as a judge. The inscription dates to the late third or early fourth century CE.
The poem adds evidence for literary and cultural activity in the Dakhla Oasis during the Roman period. Greek writing alongside Egyptian funerary imagery also reflects the mix of cultural traditions present in the oasis at the time.
The excavation also found signs of later use of the tomb. A mudbrick shrine was built above the main entrance, with a funerary chapel in front. The chapel contains four square mudbrick columns.
Bir al-Shaghala forms one of the major archaeological sites in the Dakhla Oasis. The cemetery belonged to the ancient city of Mothis, the capital of the oasis during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. The modern name comes from a water well known as Bir al-Shaghala.
The Supreme Council of Antiquities began excavations at the site in 2002. Work over several seasons has brought many tombs to light, with varied layouts and architectural styles.
The cemetery shows a mix of ancient Egyptian traditions and influences from the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. Some tombs feature open courtyards, while others have stairways flanked by altars linked to outdoor funerary rites.
Several tombs also have upper levels with funerary shrines topped by pyramid structures. Their size, design, and decoration suggest the cemetery served members of the local elite during the Roman period.
Inside many tombs, a front hall leads to burial chambers. Some chambers held stone or pottery coffins, while vaulted roofs were built from sandstone or mudbrick made from local clay.
Walls and ceilings in several chambers carry funerary scenes and texts drawn from ancient Egyptian afterlife books. Greek and Roman elements appear alongside them, reflecting the beliefs and customs of people living in ancient Mothis during the Roman period.