The discovery was made in Ismailia, about one hundred kilometers northeast of Cairo in Egypt. While preparing his land for planting, a farmer was surprised to see a stone piece quickly appear that turned into a complete stele covered in hieroglyphs.
The man immediately called the authorities to warn them of finding him, which fell in the Ismailia Antiquities Museum, where specialists were able to examine him. The stele is more than two meters long, one meter wide, and 45 centimeters thick.
Although some symbols are gone, the sandstone slab shows a very good state of preservation which has allowed us to learn more about it. According to the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, archaeologists have identified among the inscriptions a winged solar disk as well as a cartouche of the pharaoh Abrez.
Established during a military campaign?
Also known as Wahibre Haaibre, Apries was the fourth pharaoh of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty (664-625 BC): ruling from 589 to 570 BC, by which time Egypt, freed from all control, became independent again.
Like his predecessors from the Twenty-sixth Dynasty, Pharaoh Aberys led an extensive military campaign to restore Egyptian authority over neighboring countries in the Near East. In this context, the stele discovered by the farmer could see the light of day.
According to Dr. Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Egyptian Antiquities, the painting could indeed be one of the border panels erected by the pharaoh during his expeditions to the east. The city of Ismailia, where the discovery was made, is located a few hundred kilometers from Jerusalem.
In addition to the sun disk and cartouche, fifteen lines of hieroglyphs can be seen on the piece of stone. Dr. Waziri explained that they are currently being studied and translated in order to learn more about the origin of the witness.
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