Ancient Nativity scene discovered inside Egyptian cave

A Nativity scene that pre-dates the birth of Jesus by around 3,000 years has been discovered in Egypt.

The reddish rock art found in a small cave within the Sahara desert, shows a mother and father stood over a newborn, with animals present and a star in the east.

It was actually discovered in 2005 by geologist Marco Morelli, director of the Museum of Planetary Sciences in Prato, near Florence, Italy, while on an expedition between the Gilf Kebir Plateau and the Nile Valley, but he has only just made the images public, reports the Daily Mail.Dr Morelli told Seeker: 'It's a very evocative scene which indeed resembles the Christmas nativity. But it predates it by some 3,000 years.'

He added that when the baby is drawn above the parents, it usually resembles a birth or pregnancy in ancient Egyptian art.

There may not be any wise men or shepherds, but the birth appears to have been witnessed by a lion that is at the top of the picture and a money painted below.

Dr Morelli added: 'No doubt it's an intriguing drawing,' Morelli said. 'We didn't find similar scenes until the early Christian age.