Egypt: “Egyptian Pompeii” in the Light – Hidden for Centuries

Archaeologists in Egypt brought to light a large, ancient pharaonic city, the “Egyptian Pompeii” that had been hidden for centuries, near some of the most famous monuments in the country.

The city, according to the APE-MPE, was built at least 3,400 years ago, during the reign of Amenhotep (or Amenophis) III, one of the most powerful pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty, as reported by Zahi Hawass, the famous Egyptian archaeologist the excavation.

Last September, the Hawass team began searching for a burial site near Luxor. But after a few weeks the workers fell on brick structures that stretched in all directions.

The archeological dig revealed a well-preserved city, with almost intact walls and rooms filled with everyday tools, rings, scaffolding, colorful ceramic pots and plinths bearing the Amenhotep symbol.

“The city streets are surrounded by houses; some walls are three meters high,” Hawass said.

The city is located on the West Bank of Luxor, near the Colossi of Memnon and Medinet Habou, the burial temple of Pharaoh Ramses III, a short distance from the Valley of the Kings.

“The second most important discovery after the tomb of Tutankhamun”

“This is a very important discovery”, commented Peter Lakovara, director of the American Fund for Ancient Egyptian Heritage and Archeology. The situation in which the city found itself and the large number of objects reminiscent of another, famous city, he added: “It is like an ancient Egyptian Pompeii and shows how crucial it is to preserve this area as an archeological park.” Lakovara has been working on the excavation of Malkata Palace for 10 years, but did not join the Havas team.

Betsy Bryan, a professor of Egyptology at Johns Hopkins University and a specialist in Amenhotep DG, said that Many ovens and kilns were found in the area for the manufacture of glass and ceramics, as well as fragments of countless statues. “The discovery of this lost city is the second most important archaeological discovery after Tutankhamun’s tomb,” he said.

The “largest ancient city in Egypt” extends west to the workers’ village of Deir el Medina. According to historical records, it included three palaces of Amenhotep III and the administrative and industrial center of his empire, Hawass said in a statement. It was still inhabited until 3,000 years ago, during the reign of Tutankhamun.

Two tombs of “cows or bulls” and an “unusual” human remains were also found. Amenhotep III ascended the throne of ancient Egypt in 1,391 BC. and died in 1,353.