In Luxor, where many archaeological digs and discoveries have come to light over many decades, a new find shines especially bright. The Egyptian mission under archaeologist Zahi Hawass discovered the ancient lost Egyptian city in Luxor – The Rise of Aten – that was lost under the sands 3000 years ago.
An Unexpected Find
(golden figure above also Amenhotep), Wiki
They began the work that revealed this lost Egyptian city of Amenhotep III by searching for the mortuary temple of Tutankhamun. They dug here because the temples of both Horemheb and Ay were found in the area. Instead, they found an entire city that had eluded archaeologists all this time. It is the largest city ever found in Egypt. The city – dubbed the Lost Golden City – dates to the reign of Amenhotep III. It continued to be used by Tutankhamun and Ay.
Betsy Brian, professor of Egyptology at John Hopkins University in Baltimore USA, said “the discovery of this lost city is the second most important archeological discovery since the tomb of Tutankhamun”.
The excavation started in September 2020, and within weeks, to the team’s great surprise, formations of mud bricks began to appear in all directions. What they unearthed was the site of a large city in good condition of preservation, with almost complete walls and with rooms filled with tools for daily life.
The archaeological layers have laid untouched for thousands of years, left by the ancient residents as if it were yesterday.
This article describes in detail the areas uncovered. There are zigzag “security” walls typical of the period. They found mudbrick production inscribed with the cartouche of Amenhotep III, as well as metal and glass making slag. Of note, is a strikingly peculiar skeleton with arms outstretched and rope around the knees. Also, among many other items of everyday use, they excavated a vessel of dried or boiled meat inscribed with “Year 37.”
Answers to Aten’s Mysterious Move?
This precise date is fascinating. In Year 38, tradition has it that Pharaoh Aten moved the capital to Amarna. He abandoned this city, probably for religious reasons. But is that correct and was this vast complex re-inhabited when Tutankhamun returned to Thebes?
Only further excavations of the area will reveal what truly happened 3,500 years ago. Many intriguing questions and puzzles may find solutions as this dig proceeds. Perhaps even more so, the variety of daily life details uncovered boggles my mind.
For a post on King Tut’s tomb and its possible “extra room.”