13 February, 2015 - 22:01 Mark Miller

Rosetta-style engraving lauding Cleopatra and two Ptolemaic Pharaohs

unearthed in Egypt
A 2,200-year-old Rosetta-style limestone stele has been found at an ancient site near the
Mediterranean Sea and the city of Alexandria in Egypt. Though archaeologists and Egyptologists
havent deciphered the entire meaning yet, they say that, like the Rosetta stone, the stele found
this week commemorates ancient Egyptian royalty, in this case two Ptolemaic pharaohs and
Queen Cleopatra.
This finding dates to the reign of Ptolemy V Epiphanes, 204 B.C. to 180 B.C. of the Ptolemaic
Dynasty, 332 B.C. - 30 B.C. The Ptolemys ruled Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great in
323 B.C.
Antiquties Minister Mamdouh el-Damaty said on Facebook that the importance of this discovery
lies in the different scripts it was inscribed in. The stele has hieroglyphs and an apparent
translation into demotic script. Demotic was a language used by the common people, while
royals and the upper class used hieroglyphics.
The stele resembles the Rosetta Stone, which was inscribed in the ninth year of king Ptolemy V's
reign. That is two years after the Taposiris Magna stele was inscribed. The new find is an exact

copy of a stele from the Philae Temple near Aswan, which also dates to Ptolemy Vs reign. In it
the pharaoh offered a large area of Nubia to the goddess Isis and her priests.

The world famous Rosetta Stone (Wikimedia Commons)

The Rosetta Stone in translation into English begins by lauding Horus and saying Ptolemy is the
Son of the Sun and the beloved of Ptah:

On the twenty-fourth day of the month GORPIAIOS, which correspondeth to the twenty-fourth
day of the fourth month of the season PERT of the inhabitants of TA-MERT (EGYPT), in the
twenty-third year of the reign of HORUS-RA the CHILD, who hath risen as King upon the throne
of his father, the lord of the shrines of NEKHEBET and UATCHET, the mighty one of two-fold
strength, the stablisher of the Two Lands, the beautifier of Egypt, whose heart is perfect (or
benevolent) towards the gods, the HORUS of Gold, who maketh perfect the life of the
hamentet beings, the lord of the thirty-year festivals like PTAH, the sovereign prince like R,
the King of the South and North, Neterui-merui-aatui- aa
u-setep-en-Pta-usr-ka-R-nksekem-Aamen, the Son of the Sun Ptolemy, te ever-living, te beloved of Pta, the god who
maketh himself manifest.
The Rosetta Stone decree appears in three scripts: Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, Demotic script,
and Ancient Greek. Because it presents essentially the same text in all three scripts, it provided
the key to the modern understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphs.

The Taposiris Magna Temple

The stele was found at Taposiris Magna temple on Lake Mariout by archaeologists with the
Catholic University of Santo Domingo working with Egypts Supreme Council of Antiquities.
Several other important finds have been made at Taposiris, including beautiful statues from
which the heads were removed centuries ago, ironically possibly by Catholic iconoclasts seeking
to stamp out the ancient Egyptian religion.

Ruins of the Osiris Temple at Taposiris Magna (Photo by Koantao/Wikmedia Commons)

The Supreme Council of Antiquities Dr. Zahi Hawass said in 2010, when a large Ptolemaic
statue was found, the mission has discovered a collection of headless royal statues, which may
have been subjected to destruction during the Byzantine and Christian eras. A collection of
heads featuring Queen Cleopatra was also uncovered along with 24 metal coins bearing
Cleopatras face.

Hawass said in 2010 the headless statue is very well preserved and might be one of the most
beautiful statues carved in the ancient Egyptian style. It may be an image of Ptolemy IV, who
had the Taposiris Magna temple complex constructed.

A beheaded statue possibly of Ptolemy IV found at Taposiris Magan in 2010 (Supreme Council of
Antiquties photo)
The head of the Dominican Egyptian Mission, Dr. Kathleen Martinez, said in six years at
Taposiris Magna Site theyve made many important discoveries about ancient Alexandria. Major
discoveries include tombs of nobles, statues of the Isis and many bronze coins showing
Cleopatra.

Featured image: The stele has hieroglyphic and demotic inscriptions and measures 41 inches (105 cm) by
25.6 inches (65 cm) by 7 inches (18 cm). (Photo by Egypts Ministry of Antiquities)
By Mark Miller
- See more at: http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/rosetta-style-engravinglauding-cleopatra-ptolemaic-pharaohs-020214#sthash.ZsFAciux.dpuf