Carvings of Ancient Pharaohs Unearthed in Nile River

While searching the Nile River, a team of Egyptian and French archaeologists has discovered carvings, paintings and miniatures depicting ancient pharaohs.

The underwater expedition took place near Aswan, Egypt, in an area that was flooded during the construction of the Aswan High Dam. Built between 1960 and 1970, it is one of the world’s largest embankment dams, tasked with regulating the flow and flooding of the Nile. 

Ahead of the dam’s construction, a large effort led by UNESCO rescued many monuments and valuable artifacts, according to Live Science’s Owen Jarus. However, other important items could not be relocated in time and were submerged in the Nile.

Among those lost artifacts were the recently discovered rock carvings, which depict the Egyptian pharaohs Amenhotep III (circa 1390 to 1353 B.C.E.), Thutmose IV (circa 1400 to 1390 B.C.E.), Psamtik II (circa 595 to 589 B.C.E.) and Apries (circa 589 to 570 B.C.E.).

The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the discovery in a statement posted to Facebook on July 17.

“For the first time, we [have] gone underwater to study the rock formations between the Aswan reservoir and the Aswan High Dam,” says the ministry, per a translation by Artnet’s Richard Whiddington. “Since the site remains in good condition, the mission was able to fully document it.”

The researchers documented their discovery by filming and photographing the site underwater. They also used photogrammetric techniques, allowing them to create three-dimensional models based on two-dimensional images. The archaeologists are still working on these models, which they hope to eventually publish.

The southern city of Aswan is an important part of Egypt’s history and heritage. The ancient Egyptians used it as a garrison town, and its quarries provided granite for numerous ancient monuments. The city is also the site of Abu Simbel, a temple that features four large-scale statues of the pharaoh Ramses II, and the Philae temple complex, where the last known Egyptian hieroglyphic inscription was written in 394 C.E.

William Carruthers, a historian at the University of Essex in England who wasn’t involved in the research, tells Live Science that the discovery suggests more artifacts survived the flooding than previously thought. Jitse Dijkstra, a classicist at the University of Ottawa in Canada who also wasn’t involved in the project, tells the publication that the carvings are interesting but that more research is required.

The carvings aren’t the only exciting find near Aswan. Earlier this summer, the tourism ministry announced the discovery of 33 tombs built into a hillside, which revealed information about ancient burial customs, diseases and social hierarchies.

Ella Feldman | READ MORE

Ella Malena Feldman is a writer and editor based in Washington, D.C. She examines art, culture and gender in her work, which has appeared in Washington City Paper, DCist and the Austin American-Statesman.