By the Gazette Editorial Board THE recent unearthing of a 2,200-year-old gold coin with the image of King Ptolemy III engraved on one of its faces is the latest proof that a considerable section of the wonders of Ancient Egypt's civilisation is waiting for more excavation work. It is also a solid proof of the greatness of the ancient Egyptian civilisation and its remarkable advances in science, economy and arts as so proven by the casting of gold as coins, the early introduction of the concept of coinage and the use of coins for trade transactions as well as for commemorative purposes and the fine sculpting on both faces of a coin. And it is thirdly an indication of the almost unrivalled heritage that civilisation has left for humanity. Furthermore, the dedication of a coin to King Ptolemy III, an ancestor of Queen Cleopatra, points to diversity as an established norm of life throughout history along the banks of the River Nile and deep into the river's delta. The series of recent finds and the pace of the discoveries are indeed dazzling not only to tourists but also archaeologists and to Egyptologists – all the more so with the past year alone witnessing six spectacular such discoveries, prompting this newspaper to editorialise then on this phenomenon as an indication of the inexhaustible richness of our ancient civilisation. And it was in assertion of this assessment that the recent find in San el-Hagar came just a few months after the unearthing of ancient cemetery where more than 40 mummies are buried and the discovery of marble head representing Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius's. Definitely, this observable increase in the number and frequency of such discoveries will keep archaeologists on the lookout for additional finds and should also encourage larger flow of tourists from all over the world. An equally important observation in this regard is that the gold coin was discovered in the vicinity of San el-Hagar town of Sharqeya Governorate East of the River Nile Delta. With the coin discovered while excavations were under way to unearth a huge Graeco-Roman building, the suggestion is that the marvelous manifestations of Ancient Egypt's civilisation were by means confined to the country's upper region but rather covered almost all parts of Egypt – a suggestion that should expand the existing areas of tourist attractions.
