Three tombs dating back 2,000 years have been newly discovered in southern Egypt, the ministry of antiquities has said.

The finds were uncovered in al-Kamin al-Sarwahi in Minya province, hidden down deep burial shafts.

After careful excavations, in one tomb four sarcophagi were found which had been carved with human faces.

'These tombs were part of a large cemetery for a large city and not a military garrison as some suggest,' lead archaeologist Ali al-Bakry said (Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities)

Another contained six burial holes, including a child’s.

“These tombs were part of a large cemetery for a large city and not a military garrison as some suggest,” lead archaeologist Ali al-Bakry said, citing bones and other evidence which pointed to the presence of “men, women and children of different ages”.

“This was the first time to find a burial of a child at the Sahrawi site,” Mr Bakry said.

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The authorities think the area was used over a large time period. Clay fragments suggest the tombs date between the 27th Dynasty, founded in 525BC, and the Greco-Roman era, which began in 332BC.

al-Kamin al-Sarwahi has been the subject of archaeological exploration since 2015. That year, 20 tombs in a series of ancient catacombs were discovered.

Dr Ayman Ashmawy, head of the ancient Egyptian antiquities sector at the ministry of antiquities, hailed the new discovery as “very important.”