Archaeological Site

Notably, the Sheikh Soby site is home to a Late Period cemetery containing the tombs of Bahariya Oasis rulers and priests from that period, including the Temple of El-Bawiti.

"One of the [tombs] contained a clay coffin with a small headless figurine of a pregnant woman," Muhammad Lashkri, director of antiquities and heritage affairs in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, said.

The discovery came as part of police’s ongoing investigations into the violent clash between two feuding families in Silwan that occurred over the weekend and led to the deaths of three people.

Using careful examination methods, researchers were able to identify for the first time cut marks made by flint knives in consistent locations on the bones of large snakes found at the site.

Though only fragments of the panel portraying Dionysus and Ariadne have survived, its reconstruction was possible through comparison with other ancient works.

Cekilmez explained to Andalou Agency that the Hamam Gymnasium complex is thought to have been an important educational institution where children were able to learn from an early age.

The finds confirm that the area had been settled during the Hyksos’ reign during the 15th Dynasty given its proximity to Avaris, which had served as the capital city at the time.

However, IAA researchers have proposed two main theories about what the site served as: either a major trade and industrial station or part of a currently undiscovered nearby settlement.

The appearance of the two dieties on the tombstones points to joint Greek and Roman influence on ancient Egyptian heritage and funerary practices. 

Leithy added that the layer is marked by remnants of ancient Cypriot pottery and Greek amphorae, confirming that settlement of the site began before the construction of the bathing complex.