During a recent diving expedition in the Nile River, a joint French-Egyptian archaeological team uncovered a significant collection of ancient rock carvings and hieroglyphic inscriptions depicting several Egyptian pharaohs.
This discovery, submerged south of Aswan, lies in an area flooded by the construction of the Aswan High Dam between 1960 and 1970. Prior to the inundation, UNESCO led a comprehensive effort to document and relocate numerous archaeological treasures from the region, but many artifacts were left behind and subsequently submerged.
The archaeological team, comprising experts from the Supreme Council of Archaeology and Paul Valéry University in Montpellier, is spearheaded by Dr. Chris Crassion on the French side. They discovered depictions of notable pharaohs such as Amenhotep III (circa 1390-1352 BCE), Thutmose IV (circa 1400-1390 BCE), Psamtik II (circa 595-589 BCE), and Apries (circa 589-570 BCE), who ruled during the 18th and 26th dynasties. Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Archaeology, confirmed that these carvings had never been studied before and remain remarkably well-preserved.
Aswan holds historical significance as a vital location for the ancient Egyptians, serving as a southern border and a hub for monumental structures like Abu Simbel and the Philae temple complex. Abu Simbel features four colossal statues of Ramesses II, each about 69 feet tall, and Philae is renowned as the site of the last known Egyptian hieroglyphic inscription in 394 A.D. Alejandro Jiménez-Serrano, an archaeologist leading excavations near Aswan and a professor at the University of Jaen, emphasized Aswan’s role as a granite quarry and a strategic military and trade location throughout various dynasties.
The team’s objective is to identify and document the surviving inscriptions and carvings using advanced techniques such as underwater photography, video, and photogrammetry. This latter method involves capturing multiple photographs to create digital 3D models. Dr. Hisham Alithi, head of the Egyptian Archaeological Preservation and Registration Sector, detailed the mission’s use of modern diving and scanning technologies to ensure comprehensive documentation and preservation of the carvings.
William Carruthers, a lecturer at the University of Essex, noted that the findings demonstrate a greater survival of archaeological remains than previously believed by UNESCO during their 1960s and 1970s salvage campaign.
