Several artifacts dating to ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman times came to light during digs at Ihnasya Al Madinah on the western bank of the Nile, the Egyptian Tourism and Antiquities Ministry reported Sunday.

The settlement, known in Greek sources as Heracleopolis or the City of Heracles, once served as the capital of the twentieth nome of Upper Egypt.

In the language of the pharaohs the place was called nn nswt, or Child of the King.

Among the objects recovered was a cartouche carrying the throne and personal names of Pharaoh Senusret III, fifth ruler of the Twelfth Dynasty in the Middle Kingdom.

A second cartouche bore the name of Osir-Naref, a local manifestation of the god Osiris that ranked among the chief deities honored at ancient Ihnasya.

Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, noted that the Senusret cartouche underscores the citys religious importance already in the Middle Kingdom.

Remains of Roman basilica, Doric temple found

Excavators also exposed the foundations of a Roman basilica that had functioned as a civic structure in Ptolemaic times and later served as a church in the early Christian era.

Traces of a sixth-century Doric temple were likewise identified.

Mohamed Abdel-Badie, head of the Ancient Egyptian Antiquities Sector, observed that many stones from the earlier temple had been reused in the basilicas foundations and supporting columns, some of which weigh roughly 45 tons.

Three columns still stand in their original locations.

A marble head from a statue of the Greek goddess Aphrodite was recovered as well. Its facial features and curled locks follow the classical style typical of divine and elite portraits of the period, Abdel-Badie said.

Wall fragments and pottery molds employed for striking Roman coins were also retrieved, evidence, according to Dr. Sami Dardiri, of the citys continued economic and cultural vitality under Roman rule.

Further study is under way to refine the dating of the finds.

The discoveries illustrate the rich historical layers preserved at Ihnasya al-Madina and the successive cultural influences that shaped Egypt, Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy stated.

First near-complete ancient Egyptian funerary set discovered at Heliopolis

The same day the ministry announced the recovery of a nearly complete ancient Egyptian funerary assemblage from the Panhesy Tomb inside the ruins of Heliopolis.

Heliopolis ranks among Egypts earliest cities and today lies within the Ain Shams and El Matareya districts of northeastern Cairo. It once formed the chief cult center of the sun god Ra, whose temple still features the Al-Masalla obelisk raised by Senusret I.

The set lay beneath a mud-brick burial that contained human remains, El-Leithy reported. It constitutes the first near-complete example found in the area.

Additional items included a copper mirror, two alabaster kohl jars still holding traces of the cosmetic, and a third kohl container carved from black obsidian.

The find sheds fresh light on daily life and burial customs across successive periods in the region, Minister Fathy added.