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# Pyramid-shaped Roman tomb found in Egypt's Dakhla Oasis, with a Greek poem in red ink
- URL: https://theegyptfiles.com/dakhla-oasis-roman-pyramid-tomb-greek-elegy/
- Published: 2026-10-14T07:59:20.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-14T07:59:20.000Z
- Description: Egypt's antiquities authorities say a mission has found a mud-brick, pyramid-shaped Roman-period tomb at Bir Al-Shaghala in Dakhla Oasis, with a 19-line Greek poem on a stele.
- Author: J E Cowie
- Tags: News

An Egyptian archaeological mission has found a pyramid-shaped tomb built of mud-brick at the Bir Al-Shaghala site in Dakhla Oasis, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' announcement, as published on 24 September 2026\. The announcement dates the tomb to the Roman period and says it was used to bury a man and his wife. The mission is affiliated with the Supreme Council of Antiquities.

One of the most notable finds, according to the announcement, is a stone stele carrying a Greek poem written in red ink. The announcement also describes an Egyptian-style entrance, a rare scene from a funerary text, and signs that the tomb was reused later.

## The stele and its poem

![A Roman bronze coin showing the portrait of Emperor Constantine I](https://theegyptfiles.com/content/images/2026/10/shot2_a-roman-bronze-coin-showing-the-portrait.jpg)

A Roman bronze coin showing Emperor Constantine I. An illustrative example, not the coin from the tomb.

According to Sami Dardiri, Head of the Central Administration of Middle Egypt Antiquities, the rectangular stele is set into the southern wall of the pyramid-shaped structure. It has a pedimented top with a sun disk carved in relief. It carries a 19-line funerary poem in ancient Greek, written in red ink and dedicated to a man named Psychtis.

Preliminary studies suggest he may have served as a judge, the announcement says. It dates the elegy to the late third or early fourth century AD, and describes it as important evidence of literary and cultural life in the oases in Roman times.

The announcement does not name the poem's author. Angelos Chaniotis, a researcher at the Institute for Advanced Study who was not involved in the excavation, told Live Science that in the poem's last lines the dead man's son, Sarapion, addresses his father.

## An Egyptian-style doorway

Mohamed Abdel-Badie, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said a 14-step staircase leads to the main entrance. The entrance is built of sandstone in the Egyptian style and carries carved hieroglyphic inscriptions with protective funerary spells.

It has an Egyptian cornice decorated with a winged sun disk and two cobras, followed by an element shaped like a bundle of reeds. The announcement calls the stone entrance one of the distinctive architectural features of the Bir Al-Shaghala necropolis.

On the upper lintel is a funerary scene that the announcement describes as rare and as being documented for the first time at the necropolis. It depicts the seventh hour of the Amduat, one of the ancient Egyptian Books of the Netherworld. Inscriptions and scenes relating to the tomb's occupants run along both sides of the lintel.

The entrance was found sealed with a stone slab showing Osirian imagery and surrounded by funerary spells.

## Inside the tomb

The entrance opens into a transverse mud-brick hall with a vaulted ceiling. Part of the ceiling had collapsed on the western side. To the right of the hall are two plastered mud-brick burial chambers, with the pyramid-shaped upper structure of the tomb above them.

Other finds listed by the ministry are:

- a sandstone offering table, set above a purification basin made of the same material
- a variety of pottery vessels
- a bronze coin with a relief image of Emperor Constantine

## Signs of reuse

The announcement says the evidence suggests the tomb may have been reused at a later period. In the upper section, archaeologists found a mud-brick chapel above the main entrance. In front of it is a funerary shrine with four square mud-brick columns.

## The Bir Al-Shaghala necropolis

The announcement describes Bir Al-Shaghala as one of the most important archaeological sites in Dakhla Oasis and part of the necropolis of Mothis, the oasis capital in the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. Mothis is the ancient name of modern Mout, the announcement says. The modern site name comes from a water well.

The Supreme Council of Antiquities began excavating there in 2002\. Successive seasons have uncovered many tombs with varied layouts. The ministry says their architecture combines ancient Egyptian elements with influences that emerged in the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. It adds that the features of the tombs suggest the necropolis may have been set aside for members of the oasis capital's elite in Roman times.

Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the discovery's significance "lies in the tomb's distinctive architectural elements, inscriptions and funerary texts, which provide important information about funerary practices and the cultural and religious life of the Dakhla Oasis during the Roman period." Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy said the find shows the richness of Egypt's oases and the evidence they preserve of successive civilisations.

## What this adds up to

This is a ministry announcement, and the detail on the tomb comes from officials of the mission's own side. The Greek elegy, the Amduat scene and the Osirian slab sit together in one building, and in my view that mix is what makes the tomb worth following. A Greek poem in red ink was set into a pyramid-shaped tomb entered through a doorway built in the Egyptian style. The ministry's "preliminary" wording on Psychtis and its "may have been reused" wording both mark readings that further study could change.

## Sources

SIS, Egypt (2026) 'Egyptian archaeological mission discovers Roman-era tomb in Dakhla Oasis', SIS media center (MENA report), 24 September 2026, available at: [https://sis.gov.eg/en/media-center/news/egyptian-archaeological-mission-discovers-roman-era-tomb-in-dakhla-oasis/](https://sis.gov.eg/en/media-center/news/egyptian-archaeological-mission-discovers-roman-era-tomb-in-dakhla-oasis/?ref=theegyptfiles.com) (Accessed: 14 October 2026).

Jarus, O. (2026) ''Listen, father!': 1,700-year-old tomb discovered in Egypt contains a poem in ancient Greek and spells to protect the dead', Live Science, 28 September 2026, available at: [https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/ancient-egyptians/listen-father-1-700-year-old-tomb-discovered-in-egypt-contains-a-poem-in-ancient-greek-and-spells-to-protect-the-dead](https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/ancient-egyptians/listen-father-1-700-year-old-tomb-discovered-in-egypt-contains-a-poem-in-ancient-greek-and-spells-to-protect-the-dead?ref=theegyptfiles.com) (Accessed: 14 October 2026).

## Picture credits

- Top picture: Dakhla Oasis, New Valley Governorate, Egypt. © Vyacheslav Argenberg, [http://www.vascoplanet.com/](http://www.vascoplanet.com/?ref=theegyptfiles.com) ([CC BY 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=theegyptfiles.com)) ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dakhla%5FOasis%5Fview%5F%28May%5F2007%29.jpg?ref=theegyptfiles.com))
- A Roman bronze coin showing Emperor Constantine I. An illustrative example, not the coin from the tomb. Image: Classical Numismatic Group, Inc. [http://www.cngcoins.com](http://www.cngcoins.com/?ref=theegyptfiles.com) ([CC BY-SA 2.5](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/?ref=theegyptfiles.com)) ([source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CONSTANTINE%5FI-RIC%5FVII%5F342-838871.jpg?ref=theegyptfiles.com))