CAIRO, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- An Egyptian archaeological mission discovered a unique pyramid-shaped tomb dating to the Roman period (30 BC-395 AD) in the southwestern province of New Valley, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said Thursday.
In a statement, the ministry said the tomb, discovered at the Bir al-Shaghala archaeological site in Dakhla Oasis, was built of mudbrick and used to bury a man and his wife.
The tomb features distinctive architecture and rare funerary inscriptions that shed light on the oasis' burial practices and religious and cultural life during the Roman period, the statement said.
Among the finds were a stone funerary stele bearing a 19-line Greek-language lament, an offering table, a sandstone purification basin, pottery vessels and a bronze coin depicting Roman Emperor Constantine.
The tomb is accessed by a 14-step staircase leading to a sandstone entrance decorated with recessed hieroglyphic inscriptions and funerary spells. Its lintel bears a rare scene depicting the seventh hour of the "Amduat," a major ancient Egyptian funerary text that serves as a twelve-hour map of the underworld recounting the sun god Ra's nightly journey.
The entrance leads to a mudbrick vaulted hall and two burial chambers beneath the pyramid-shaped superstructure.
The funerary stele commemorates a man who may have served as a judge, according to the statement. ■