Cairo — Archaeologists say they have discovered the remains of a likely warhorse from ancient Egypt that was given an honorific burial more than 3,000 years ago. The horse was found amid structures and artifacts that have revealed more details of military and daily life inside ancient Egyptian fortresses, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in a Wednesday statement. The site at Tell Al-Abqain, in the Nile Delta in Egypt's northern Beheira province, was established during the New Kingdom (1570-1069 B.C.) to protect Egypt from attacks by Libyan tribes.
Among the other items unearthed was a large mudbrick residential complex with planned streets, as well as rooms with grain-storage silos and cylindrical pottery ovens used to prepare food. Hisham El-Leithy, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, the findings reflect precise urban planning and an organized system to manage resources inside the fortress. But the complete burial of the young male horse was among the most exciting finds for the researchers.
Mohamed Abdel-Badie, head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector, said preliminary studies show it belonged to a medium-sized breed characterized by speed and agility, believed to have been used for military activities that could have included pulling war chariots in the New Kingdom. The position of the horse's body, the direction of its head, and the orderly nature of the burial indicate it was deliberately and systematically interred, suggesting the animal received an honorific burial, he said. A few yards from the burial site, archaeologists also discovered cylindrical pieces of alabaster and limestone believed to have formed part of a horse's chariot harness, bolstering the theory that the site had a military purpose.
The excavations also uncovered part of a limestone stela depicting a prisoner with his body bent in a posture of submission and his hands bound. His clothing indicates he was a Libyan prisoner. The team also found religious amulets associated with protection, fertility, renewal and strength, along with a variety of pottery vessels and ostraca used for storage, cooking, serving food and preserving perfumes and oils, as well as tools, jewelry, and other artifacts.
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