Egypt unearths large pottery workshop of Greco-Roman era — Undated photo provided by the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities shows artefacts discovered in a catacomb unearthed in Ismailia, Egypt. Egyptian archeological mission discovered a multi-storey catacomb dating back to the Greco-Roman era in Ismailia province. (Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities/Handout via Xinhua)

The Egyptian archeological mission on Tuesday discovered the remains of a large pottery workshop dating from the Greco-Roman era in Beheira Province north of the capital Cairo.

“The workshop that began in the third century BC and lasted until the first century AD contains ancient buildings, clay-mixing tools, rooms for the formation of pots, drying machines, and incinerators,” said Mostafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt.

Ayman Ashmawy, head of Ancient Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Ministry of Antiquities, said the discovered incinerators have updraft kilns built of red bricks and are surrounded by mud bricks to bear the pressure of burning.

The mission also unveiled a residential complex of houses made of mud bricks that contain daily used cooper-made pots, food warehouses, some bronze coins as well as some tombs and skeletons, according to Ashmawy.