Archaeologists uncover ancient Byzantine city in Egypt’s western desert | Egypt
Archaeologists in Egypt have uncovered a well-preserved Byzantine city in the western desert.
The fourth-century quarters contained residential and religious structures, including a basilica-style church in the Dakhla oasis. Archaeologists also found coins, pottery shards and tools.
Separately, 18 ancient rock-cut tombs were discovered at Marina el-Alamein near Alexandria, containing limestone tombs, urns and a granite sarcophagus.
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said the first discovery revealed details of daily life, urban development and economic activities during the period when Egypt was part of the Byzantine Empire.
Hisham el-Leithy, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said that the unearthed neighborhoods include north-south streets intersecting with east-west streets, creating open squares and public spaces.
According to Mahmoud Massoud, who heads the archaeological mission, at the beginning of the settlement are the ruins of a basilica overlooking the main streets and two watchtowers protecting the surrounding area.
The oasis, located in Egypt’s western province of New Valley, is on Unesco’s tentative list and is one step away from being added to the agency’s world heritage list.
Mesut added a heavily fortified structure with thick defensive walls, and numerous houses with reception halls and vaulted roofs were found in the area.
These included the house of Tisous, described as a church priest and dating to the second half of the 14th century, when archaeologists believe it served as a church house before the city’s basilica was built.
Archaeologists also unearthed bread ovens, kitchens, grinding tools and bronze coins bearing portraits of Byzantine emperors, Latin inscriptions and Christian symbols.
In the statement of the ministry, Roman emperor II., who reigned between 337 and 361. It was stated that a group of gold coins dating to the reign of Constantius was unearthed.
Diaa Zahran, head of the department of Islamic, Coptic and Jewish antiquities, said they found a collection of about 200 pottery pieces to be used as writing materials. The pieces, known as ostraca, contain inscriptions detailing business transactions, correspondence and other details of daily life, Zahran said.
Archaeologists also found ancient tombs at the Marina el-Alamein archaeological site, located about 100 kilometers west of the Mediterranean city of Alexandria.
The ministry said the findings included 11 rock tombs with an average depth of eight meters and seven tombs made of limestone at the surface. The total number of graves in the area reached 48.
Archaeologists have found pottery vessels, amphorae, lamps, plates, altars and limestone basins at the site.
Mission chief Eman Abdel-Khaliq said they found a 2.5-meter-long granite sarcophagus, which also contained skeletal remains that were studied. He said they found the remains of a plaster sphinx statue near the sarcophagus.
Abdel-Khaliq added that some deceased people had four pieces of gold placed in their mouths, known as the “golden tongue”, a practice associated with funerary beliefs of the time.
Marina el-Alamein is an archaeological site close to the city of Alamein on Egypt’s northern coast. Uncovered in 1986, archaeologists believe it was the ancient Greek-Roman port city of Leukaspis on the Mediterranean, built in the second century and existing until the fourth century, the ministry said.
