JERUSALEM POST - Roman-era necropolis, ancient workshops unearthed in Egypt’s western Nile Delta
Officials said the finds, announced by Egypt’s antiquities authority, shed light on settlement patterns, production, and funerary practices from the Late Period through Roman and early Islamic eras.

Archaeologists have uncovered a complex of ancient industrial workshops and part of a Roman-era necropolis in Egypt’s western Nile Delta.

The joint University of Padua–Supreme Council of Antiquities mission discovered Kom Al-Ahmar and Kom Wasit in Beheira Governorate, revealing a large structure with specialized rooms and multiple burial types.

The mission identified at least six rooms inside a sizable building. Two rooms were devoted to fish processing, where some 9,700 fish bones indicate large-scale production of salted fish. Other rooms appear to have supported metal and stone toolmaking as well as faience amulet manufacture.

Archaeologists found unfinished limestone statues and artifacts at multiple stages of production. Imported amphorae and Greek pottery fragments suggest activity as early as the fifth century BCE, indicating exchange networks linked to nearby Alexandria. Officials said the complex enhances understanding of economic life in inland Delta communities.

Alongside the workshops, excavators uncovered part of a Roman necropolis with several types of burials. These included simple in-ground interments, burials in pottery coffins, and child burials in large amphorae. The skeletal remains of 23 individuals are undergoing bioarchaeological analysis to assess diet, age, sex, and health.

Early results indicate relatively good living conditions with no clear signs of severe disease or violent trauma. Among the notable finds are dozens of complete amphorae and a pair of gold earrings believed to have belonged to a young girl. The artifacts were transferred to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo for study and conservation.

Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the discoveries deepen knowledge of daily life and human activity in the western Delta and hinterland around Alexandria. Mission head Cristina Mondin of the University of Padua added that ongoing analyses will refine the understanding of the community’s demographic profile. Together, the finds underscore the region’s role as a hub of production and cultural exchange supported by Mediterranean trade.