Archaeologists have opened a 1,700-year-old tomb in Egypt’s western desert that carries a long poem in ancient Greek.
The limestone, pyramid-shaped tomb was built for an important man and his wife. The Egyptian mission found a stone plaque in Greek, a table for the dead, a sandstone washing basin, pottery and a bronze coin with the head of the emperor Constantine — a sign the tomb was used again later.
Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathi said the mix of finds shows how cultures stacked up in Egypt. Hisham al-Lithi, head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said they also show Roman-era burial practice in the oasis country of the New Valley.
A staircase of 14 steps leads to a stone doorway with Egyptian-style carving and hieroglyphs. Above the entrance is a scene from the Amduat, the book of Ra’s night journey through the underworld, plus spells meant to guard the dead. Inside, a plastered hall opens to two burials.
On the wall is a monumental plaque with a 19-line mourning poem for a man named Bisichthes. The verses call him an “advisor in life” and praise his wisdom. Researchers think he was a judge in the late third or early fourth century AD.
The last lines, first reported by Live Science, are spoken by his son Sarapion: “Listen, father!” He asks him to take the offerings of his grieving children.
Greek had been Egypt’s language of office and culture since Alexander in 332 BC and stayed so after Rome took the country in 30 BC. Hieroglyphs, the Amduat and a Greek lament in one tomb show how mixed the Western Desert was under Rome.
The ministry has not said whether human remains were found.
Source: Vishwam Sankaran, The Independent / Yahoo, 29 September 2026; Live Science on the closing lines.
