Archaeologists in Egypt have uncovered a well-preserved Byzantine-era city in the western desert, along with 18 ancient tombs near Alexandria, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced.
Byzantine city in Dakhla oasis
The fourth-century quarters in the Dakhla oasis, located in Egypt's New Valley governate, include residential and religious structures, such as a basilica-style church. The discovery reveals details of daily life, urban development and economic activities when Egypt was part of the Byzantine empire, according to the ministry.
Hisham el-Leithy, secretary general of the supreme council of antiquities, said the unearthed quarters featured north-south thoroughfares intersected by east-west streets, forming open squares and public spaces. A basilica dating back to the mid-fourth century stands at the settlement’s head, overlooking its main streets, along with remains of two watchtowers to safeguard the outskirts, according to Mahmoud Massoud, who chairs the archaeological mission.
Fortified structures and daily life artifacts
A heavily fortified structure with thick defensive walls, and many houses consisting of reception halls and vaulted roofs, were found in the area, Massoud added. Among them was the house of Tisous, a church deacon, which dates to the second half of the fourth century. Archaeologists believe it served as a house church before the construction of the city’s basilica.
Archaeologists also uncovered bread ovens, kitchens, grinding tools and bronze coins bearing portraits of Byzantine emperors, Latin inscriptions and Christian symbols. A group of gold coins unearthed dated to the reign of Roman emperor Constantius II, who ruled between 337 and 361, the ministry statement said. Diaa Zahran, head of the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish antiquities department, reported a collection of about 200 pottery fragments known as ostraca, which have inscriptions detailing commercial transactions, correspondence and other details of daily life.
Ancient tombs at Marina el-Alamein
Separately, 18 ancient tombs were discovered at the Marina el-Alamein archaeological site, about 62 miles (100km) west of Alexandria. The findings included 11 rock-cut tombs with an average depth of eight metres, and seven surface limestone-built tombs, bringing the total tombs found at the site to 48. The ministry reported pottery vessels, amphorae, lamps, plates, altars and limestone basins at the site.
Mission chief Eman Abdel-Khaliq said they found a 2.5-metre-long granite sarcophagus, with skeleton remains being studied. Close to the sarcophagus, they found the remains of a plaster sphinx statue. Four gold pieces were placed inside the mouths of some of the deceased, known as “the golden tongue”, a practice associated with funerary beliefs of that era, Abdel-Khaliq said.
Significance of the discoveries
The Dakhla oasis is on Unesco’s tentative list, a step away from being added to the agency’s world heritage list. Marina el-Alamein, unearthed in 1986, is believed to be the ancient Greco-Roman port city of Leukaspis on the Mediterranean, built in the second century and thriving until the fourth century.
