Since 2019, Patrizia Piacentini, an Egyptologist from the University of Milan, has been conducting archaeological work at a site near Aswan, a thriving ancient frontier city in southern Egypt. It took her five years to fully grasp the significance of this site. During the initial excavation, Piacentini’s team, in collaboration with Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, noticed several ancient tombs on a small hill by the Nile River that had been looted in antiquity. Upon closer observation, Piacentini identified black soil fragments in the yellow sand as mudbrick remnants, eventually uncovering a massive tomb containing 46 skeletons of men, women, and children. These remains, dating from the 2nd century BCE to the 2nd century CE, were accompanied by statues and vibrantly painted boxes made of plaster and linen, used to encase mummies.

It wasn’t until 2024 that the unique nature of this burial site became fully understood. Unlike typical Egyptian tombs, which are often built as two- or three-tiered step structures to accommodate multiple burials over extended periods, the Aswan burial complex was constructed with no fewer than ten levels. This vast site contains over 400 tombs and thousands of skeletons. Preliminary analysis by the excavation team suggests that the uppermost tombs were reserved for the wealthy, including military leaders from the 2nd century BCE. In contrast, lower-level tombs, discovered in 2024, appear to have been designated for individuals of slightly lower rank and status.

These individual discoveries have come together to outline an enormous, previously unknown ancient necropolis. The team has determined that the burial complex spans over 25 acres. “We knew that people from the Greco-Roman period in Aswan had to be buried somewhere, but we didn’t know where—until now,” Piacentini said.