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So far 90 individual and mass graves have been found at the
site, which is being supervised by a French team of experts and
which was uncovered last year by construction workers on an
Egyptian-funded housing project.
The ministry said in a statement it believed the sarcophagus,
made from lead, belonged to a high-profile figure from the era,
but added it had not yet been opened. It had been put in a
protective wooden container and would be subject to further
study by Palestinian and international expert teams.
Ministry spokesman Tareq Al-Af said opening the sarcophagus
would await the arrival of an international metal expert. He
said some clay jars and other belongings found in the cemetery
pointed to the Roman era, around 2,000 years ago.
Af said the cemetery in northern Gaza was located at the site of
the old seaport from the Greek and Roman era.
Gaza is rich with antiquities having been an important trading
spot for many civilisations, from as far back as the ancient
Egyptians and the Philistines depicted in the Bible, through the
Roman empire and the crusades.
Ruins discovered there include the remains of a siege by
Alexander the Great as well as a Mongol invasion.
Gaza is run by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which has
fought four wars with Israel since 2008.
The conflict has crippled the local economy and authorities
usually engage international groups to help excavate and
preserve archaeological findings.
(Writing by Nidal Almughrabi; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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