CAIRO, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian archaeologists have discovered two ancient sandstone paintings in Upper Egypts province of Aswan, Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities said Sunday. This discovery was made by the Egyptian archaeological mission at the Kom Ombo Temple in Aswan. According to Mostafa Waziri, head of Egypts Supreme Council of Antiquities, the first painting belongs to King Seti I of the 19th Dynasty, who ruled Egypt from 1290 to 1279 BC, while the other one belongs to King Ptolemy IV who ruled Egypt from 221 to 204 BC. The first painting is 2.3 meters long and 1 meter wide, while the other is 3.25 meters long and 1.15 meters wide. Both measure 30 cm thick, Waziri said. The first painting was found broken into two pieces but the drawings and inscriptions were still in good condition, he noted. The second one was found broken into several pieces but our restoration team at the ministry repaired and assembled them, Waziri added. The first painting shows King Seti I standing in front of ancient Egyptian gods Horus and Sobek, with the sun above as a symbol of protection. As for the second, it portrays King Ptolemy IV, his wife and Egyptian deities. On Sept. 16, Egypt announced the discovery of a sandstone Sphinx statue during an excavation at the Kom Ombo Temple. Two days later, it revealed the discovery of a sandstone sarcophagus with a mummy inside near Aga Khan Mausoleum on the west bank of Aswan. Over past years, Egypt has witnessed several big archaeological discoveries, including pharaonic tombs, statues, coffins, mummies, burial sites and funerary gardens.
