This settlement is estimated to be 3000 years old and is called ‘Rise of Aten’, an Egyptian sun god.
Actually looking for Tutankhamun
The excavations began last September, when the archaeologists actually searched for Tutankhamun’s mortuary temple. After a few weeks, the researchers came across brick structures. These turned out to be complete walls and rooms, sometimes up to three meters high, says Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass, who led the research.
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American Egypt expert Peter Lacovara speaks to Reuters news agency of a ‘Pompeii-like’ city, referring to the Roman archaeological site in Italy. This city was also found virtually untouched.
“As if the old residents had left it that way yesterday.” In the rooms the historians found everyday utensils such as pots, but also statues, rings and scarabs.
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The Rise of Aten is the largest settlement ever excavated in Egypt. It is said to have been founded by King Amenhotep III. It was the largest settlement near Luxor at the time.
‘The average ancient Egyptian’
Betsy Brian, a professor of Egyptology at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, calls the discovery the second most important archaeological discovery since Tutankhamun’s tomb. “This discovery gives us a rare glimpse into the life of the ancient Egyptians,” Brian told Reuters international news agency.
Daniel Soliman, the curator of the Egypt collection at the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, is also impressed by the find. “It is of particular archaeological importance,” says Soliman. “Settlements are much less likely to be found in Egypt. Hopefully, this find provides important insight into the social and economic life of the more average ancient Egyptian, rather than the social elite where so much of it has been preserved.”
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