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Ptolemaic

Egypt exhibiting previously unseen Ptolemaic artifacts

Catherine Saunders-Watson
Catherine Saunders-Watson
Ptolemaic
An ancient Roman bust of the last Ptolemaic ruler, Cleopatra VII of Egypt, shown wearing a royal diadem band over her hair. Dates to mid-1st century BC (around the time of her visit to Rome). It was discovered in a villa along the Via Appia. It is now located in the Altes Museum, Berlin, in the Antikensammlung Berlin collection.

CAIRO (AP) – Egypt is exhibiting artifacts from the Ptolemaic period for the first time in The Egyptian Museum in Cairo.Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani said Wednesday the exhibit displays around 300 Egyptian artifacts that show the life of the Ptolemaic dynasty that ruled for some 300 years — from around 320 B.C. to about 30 B.C.

A Dominican archaeological mission unearthed the artifacts in the Taposiris Magna area in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria.

Mission chief Kathleen Martinez tells The Associated Press the artifacts will help solve the mystery surrounding the burial of the Queen Cleopatra, the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom.

Egypt hopes such exhibitions and discoveries will spur tourism, partially driven by antiquities sightseeing, which was hit hard by political turmoil following the 2011 uprising.

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