The Italian state spent €15 million on a series of celebrated frescoes found in the central hall of the tomb, which were painted between 340 and 320 BCE.
According to the researchers, the inscriptions’ discovery is not new. Early Egyptologists noticed them, but did not know what language they’d been written in and were unable to translate.
If a connection between the "Kletzke Hand Cannon” and the siege is confirmed by archaeologists, this would make it nine years older than the Tannenberg rifle, which is dated to 1399.
Despite its origin, the decree is seemingly ordinary. Written by a royal scribe named Hamad, it instructs an individual named Khidr to exchange textiles for livestock.
The item was described as a "one-of-a-kind artifact". Investigators say one of the men allegedly climbed onto the other’s shoulders.
The unusual phrasing has been described as bearing a protective function against the evil eye and negative energies.
The tomb belonged to an individual of high status within their community, from an important lineage in the Rio Grande area, lead archaeologist Julia Mayo said.
