Archaeologists discover a 2,000-year-old stele depicting a Roman emperor as an Egyptian pharaoh.

Written by Fabio Lucas Carvalho

Published on 13/04/2026 at 23:47

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Sandstone monument found in restoration at the Karnak complex details imperial works and the religious relationship between Rome and Egypt.

A team of Egyptian and French archaeologists discovered a 2,000-year-old sandstone stele depicting a Roman emperor as a pharaoh in Luxor.

The monument was located during restoration work on a gate of the Karnak temple complex in ancient Thebes. The piece dates back to the reign of Emperor Tiberius, who ruled from 14 to 37 AD, highlighting the continuity of Egyptian traditions during the Roman occupation.

Discovery at the Karnak temple complex

The stele was found while specialists were working on the recovery of a gate dating from the time of Ramses III, the second pharaoh of the 20th Dynasty. The structure was in a state of deterioration and covered by vegetation when excavations revealed the decorated sandstone block.

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Representation of the Roman emperor as a pharaoh

The monument presents the Roman emperor as a pharaoh positioned before the Theban triad of deities of ancient Egypt.

In the engraved scene, Tiberius appears before the gods Amon-Ra, Mut, and Khonsu, adhering to the traditional artistic canons of the time. Below the religious image, the monument contains five lines of text in hieroglyphics detailing administrative and religious aspects.

The inscriptions specifically document the restoration of a retaining wall of the Temple of Amon, located within the Karnak complex itself.

According to archaeological authorities, this practice of depicting Roman leaders in pharaonic attire and titles was common to legitimize foreign control over Egyptian territory. The Roman emperor as a pharaoh was a figure used to maintain local authority and religious order under Roman rule.

Preservation and future of the monument in Luxor

The sandstone piece underwent a meticulous cleaning and restoration process shortly after being removed from the ground. The general director of the Luxor Museum, Abdel Ghaffar Wagdy, who led the Egyptian side of the mission, confirmed the integrity of the stele. The object is expected to be transferred to a museum at a future date, where it will become part of the region’s collection of antiquities.

The discovery highlights the complex stratigraphy of the Karnak complex, where layers from different periods overlap. The presence of a Roman emperor as a pharaoh on a sandstone stele demonstrates how Roman power structures adapted to ancient local customs.

Archaeologists continue to analyze the hieroglyphs to extract more data about the public works carried out during that period.

With information from Live Science

Archaeologists discover a 2,000-year-old stele depicting a Roman emperor as an Egyptian pharaoh.

Sandstone monument found in restoration at the Karnak complex details imperial works and the religious relationship between Rome and Egypt.

Discovery at the Karnak temple complex

Representation of the Roman emperor as a pharaoh

Preservation and future of the monument in Luxor

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Archaeologists discover a 2,000-year-old stele depicting a Roman emperor as an Egyptian pharaoh.

Sandstone monument found in restoration at the Karnak complex details imperial works and the religious relationship between Rome and Egypt.

Discovery at the Karnak temple complex

Representation of the Roman emperor as a pharaoh

Preservation and future of the monument in Luxor

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has ceased to be a climatic phenomenon and has become a biological system that feeds on itself, with 8,000 kilometers in length, 37 million tons of algae, and scientists confirm that it is now permanent.

A British company has installed in the middle of the ocean the world’s first floating platform that generates electricity 24 hours a day from the temperature difference between the surface and the depths of the Atlantic, without relying on wind or sun.

Brazil will harvest a record crop of up to 357 million tons of grains, but it does not have the capacity to store a large part of it. The storage deficit has reached the highest level in history and is equivalent to almost the entire production of Argentina.

Engineers had to pour concrete mixed with tons of ice throughout entire nights in the Dubai desert to erect the Burj Khalifa; any carelessness could clog the pipes half a mile high.

The James Webb telescope spotted a planet 700 light-years from Earth with mornings full of sand clouds and nights with clear skies, the temperature difference between the two hemispheres reaches an impressive 170 degrees.

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