Archaeologists in Egypt have uncovered a well-preserved Byzantine-era city in the western desert, because apparently even ancient civilizations preferred to build in places where the air conditioning bill is zero.
The fourth-century quarters, found in the Dakhla oasis, include residential and religious structures, such as a basilica-style church. The tourism and antiquities ministry says this reveals details of daily life, urban development, and economic activities when Egypt was part of the Byzantine empire - basically, an ancient episode of "House Hunters: Desert Edition."
The unearthed quarters feature north-south thoroughfares intersected by east-west streets, forming open squares and public spaces, said Hisham el-Leithy, secretary general of the supreme council of antiquities. 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.
Among the finds: the house of Tisous, identified as a church deacon, dating to the second half of the 14th century - archaeologists believe it served as a house church before the city’s basilica was built. They also unearthed bread ovens, kitchens, grinding tools, and bronze coins bearing portraits of Byzantine emperors, Latin inscriptions, and Christian symbols. A group of gold coins dated to the reign of Roman emperor Constantius II (who ruled between 337 and 361) was also found.
Diaa Zahran, head of the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish antiquities department, reported a collection of about 200 pottery fragments used as writing material. These ostraca have inscriptions detailing commercial transactions, correspondence, and other daily life details - essentially the ancient equivalent of Post-it notes and grocery lists.
Separately, 18 ancient tombs were discovered at Marina el-Alamein, near Alexandria, including rock-cut and limestone tombs, pottery, and a granite sarcophagus. 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 mission chief, Eman Abdel-Khaliq, said they found a 2.5-metre-long granite sarcophagus with skeleton remains being studied, plus 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, perhaps ensuring the dead could talk their way into the afterlife.
The Dakhla oasis, located in Egypt’s western province of New Valley, is on Unesco’s tentative list - one step away from being added to the world heritage list. Marina el-Alamein, unearthed in 1986, is believed to be the ancient Greco-Roman port city of Leukaspis, built in the second century and thriving until the fourth. So, just your average week in Egypt: another ancient city, another batch of tombs, and a reminder that people have been leaving their stuff lying around for millennia.