Previously unexplored parts of the ancient temple complex in the village of al-Qasr in the Bahariya Oasis were uncovered during excavations completed two weeks ago, Egypt's Tourism and Antiquities Ministry announced in a mid-June statement.
The temple dates back to Egypt’s 26th Dynasty, the last native dynasty of ancient Egypt before the Persian conquest in 525 BCE.
Excavations completed by an Egyptian archaeological mission on behalf of the Supreme Council of Antiquities unearthed the temple’s main hall, housing 16 sandstone columns and several connecting chambers and shrines.
Dr. Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, noted that a number of stone blocks bearing the names and titles of King Psamtik I - the first Pharoah of the 26th Dynasty - were found within the chamber.
Additional hieroglyphics discovered within the temple names several ancient Egyptian deities, including Amun-Ra (diety of the sun and creator deity), Amunet (a primordial goddess, the female counterpart of Amun-Ra), and Khonsu (diety of the moon).
Archaeologists also found inside the temple a stone stele dating to the 18th Dynasty, during the reign of King Amenhotep II, and fragments from the 19th Dynasty, during the reign of King Ramesses II.
The discovery “represents new evidence of the great historical and archaeological importance of the Old Palace site in the Bahariya Oasis, and its role as a prominent religious and administrative center across successive historical periods, explained Leithy.
Evidence of older, Greek, Roman activity at the site
Further, he noted that it sheds light on the history of the Bahariya Oasis and showed that the site was home to significant activity in the centuries leading up to the 26th Dynasty.
Sabry Farag, director-general of Bahariya Oasis Antiquities, strengthened Lethy’s words, pointing to the fourth and fifth century CE ostraca, and Coptic and Latin texts discovered at the site as evidence of Greek and Roman activity there.
Basins used for producing wine and oils were also found, added Farag.
Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy praised the archaeological mission’s efforts, and affirmed that unearthing the temple chamber “contribute to deepening our understanding of ancient Egyptian civilization and reveal more of its secrets.”
Fathy added that the discoveries embody the value of Egypt's “unique archaeological wealth,” and reflect the” competence of Egyptian archaeological personnel and their ability to uncover new chapters of the nation's ancient history, a cornerstone for strengthening the cultural tourism product.”
Ancient Greco-Roman cemetery unearthed in Egypt's Nile Delta
Earlier in June, an ancient Greco-Roman cemetery was discovered at the Tel Kom Aziza archaeological site in Beheira Governorate in northern Egypt.
Excavation of the site revealed multiple different types of burial, from simple burial pits where the deceased were directly interred in the soil to those with frames made from mud bricks.
Several painted plaster and barrel-shaped pottery coffin, among those most common coffin types in the Ptolemaic period, were also found at the site.
Leithy noted that the burial orientations didn’t only vary in method, but it in position as well.
Orientation of the burials varied between north–south and east–west axis, Leithy explained, adding that the hand positions of the deceased differed between folded or crossed over the pelvis, around the neck, in the distinctive Osirian position with arms crossed over the chest, or straight alongside the thighs.
Additionally, complete burials of wild boars were found at the site - a rare discovery in ancient Egyptian funerary sites given the animal’s association with the deity Set.
