The myriad of bones, jewelry and weapons found by Italian archaeologists in the Egyptian desert may be the remains of the army of Cambyses II, son of Cyrus the Great. According to history, 2,500 years ago, this powerful 50,000-strong army disappeared without a trace
The remnants of the mighty Persian army were polluted in the sands of the Western Egyptian desert. The sensational find will solve one of the most prominent mysteries of archeology, scientists say.
Bronze weapons, silver bracelets, earrings, and hundreds of human bones have been found in the vast Sahara, where no human foot ever sets. The event raised hopes that the lost 50,000 army of the Persian king Cambyses II, buried overnight by a catastrophic sandstorm in 525 BC, has finally been found.
“We found the first archaeological evidence of the story that was reported by the Greek historian Herodotus (484-425 BC),” Dario Del Bufalo, a scientist at the University of Lecce, told Discovery News.
According to the "father of history," Cambyses, son of Cyrus the Great, sent 50,000 soldiers from Thebes to attack the Oasis of Siwa and destroy the oracle in the temple of Amun. According to legend, he predicted the death of Cambyses.
It took the Persian army a week to cross the desert. As a result, the army reached the "Oasis", which, according to historians, is the current El-Kharga. However, after their departure, nothing else was heard of them.
"A deadly wind came from the south, carrying with it giant" columns "of sand, which completely destroyed the numerous army of the Persians," wrote Herodotus.
Two leading Italian archaeologists claim to have found strong evidence that the Persian army was indeed engulfed in a sandstorm.
The new discovery is the result of 13 years of research and five expeditions to the world's largest desert.
“It all started in 1996, during an expedition to study the presence of iron meteorites near Bakhrin, a small oasis near Siwa,” said scientist Alfredo Castiglioni.
During research work in these places, scientists noticed a pot half-covered with sand and human remains.
Nearby there was a rock 35 meters long and 1.8 meters high. It was the only rock in a large area.
“Its size and shape made it the perfect sandstorm refuge,” said Castiglioni.
With the help of metal detectors, Egyptian geologist Ali Barakat of Cairo University found relics of an ancient war: a bronze knife and several arrowheads. Others followed the first find, and thus a part of the once powerful Persian army appeared before the scientists. Further research into the desert will finally turn the mysterious page of the history of the ancient world.
For your information, in 530 BC. after the death of the legendary Cyrus in 530, his eldest son Cambyses II became the king of the Persian state. Soon after his accession to the throne, he began to prepare for an attack on Egypt. After a long military and diplomatic preparation, as a result of which Egypt was completely isolated, Cambyses set out on a successful campaign. By the end of August 525, Cambyses was officially recognized as king of Egypt.
However, while Cambyses was in Egypt for three years, unrest began in his homeland. In March 522, while in Memphis, he received news that his younger brother Bardia had revolted in Persia and became king. Cambyses went to Persia, but died on the way under mysterious circumstances, never having time to regain power.
