Jul 11, 2006, 15:35 GMT
Cairo - An Egyptian archaeological expedition has discovered Greek-language engravings in Alexandria, Egypt's Minister of Culture Farouq Hosni announced on Tuesday.
The engravings, which were discovered close to the Amoud al-Sawari monument, are said to date back to the times of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (ruled 161-180 AD.)
The secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Zahi Hawwas, said the engravings are six lines long and were found etched on an artefact measuring 50 centimetres long and 36 centimetres wide, which may perhaps be part of an ancient altar.
The engravings are said to be writings glorifying the supreme ancient Greek deity Zeus along with several other Greek gods.
The Amoud al-Sawari monument - also known as the Column of the Horsemen, or Pompey's Pillar - is located in the Karmouz district, which is one of the sixteen villages on which the ancient city of Alexandria was founded. This district is also referred to as the Acropolis of Alexandria - in reference to an elevated locale containing the city's most important buildings and temples.
The red granite pillar stands 27 metres tall and was erected in honour of Roman Emperor Diocletian in 284 AD.
The President of the Central Administration for Antiquities, Mohammad Abdel Maqsoud, said that the area around Amoud al-Sawari is currently being renovated at the cost of 10 million Egyptian Pounds (around 2 million dollars).
This renovation project includes the restoration of several historical monuments and the detailed documentation of all artefacts in the area. The renovation project is scheduled to be completed by 2007.
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