Thursday March 28th, 2024
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19th Dynasty Tomb of Ramses II's 'Great Army Leader' Unearthed in Saqqara

He led the Egyptian military campaigns that expanded the empire to as far as Hama in modern-day Syria.

Staff Writer

In a Tuesday statement by the Antiquities Ministry, the discovery of a 19th dynasty tomb belonging to Ramsis II's army general, named Iwrhya, was made public. The remains of who the Ministry referred to as a 'great army general' was dug up near the Saqarra burial complex on Cairo's outskirts.

The head of the excavation mission Ola Al-Aguizy said to Sky News Arabia that the tomb is relatively large, and contains material that indicate the general and his descendants maintained a rather high status in the Egyptian army then.Iwrhya is believed to have started his military journey during the reign of King Seti and reached the peak of his power under King Ramses II, which is when he led several successful military campaigns that expanded the Egyptian empire to as far as Hama in modern-day Syria and included parts of Libya, Palestine, and Lebanon.When fully excavated, historians are hopeful the tomb will provide valuable details on Ancient-Egypt's military techniques as well as its extended conflict with the Ancient-Anatolia's Hittites Empire, which voraciously battled Egypt for hegemony over the Near East.