Ancient City From The Byzantine Empire Unearthed In Egypt
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On July 3, 2026, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the discovery of a 1,600-year-old ancient city in Egypt’s Western Desert. The well-preserved settlement dates back to the 4th century AD, when Egypt was part of the Byzantine Empire.
Unlike many ancient settlements in Egypt’s Western Desert, this city appears to have been carefully planned from the start. Instead of growing gradually over time without a clear layout, it was built with a grid of streets. Main roads ran north to south, while smaller streets crossed from east to west. The roads opened into public spaces, with a large church standing at the center of the city. Thick walls and watchtowers helped protect the settlement.
Inside the mud brick houses, researchers uncovered objects from daily life. They included bread ovens and stone tools used for grinding grain. Two homes were especially interesting to archeologists. One belonged to a deacon named Tisous. The other, known as the House of Tabibos, is believed to have been a house church. It was probably where local Christians worshipped before the main church was built.
The team also found nearly 200 pieces of broken pottery, or ostraca. The residents used them like notepads to record information. Written in Greek and Coptic, the fragments contained everyday transactions, letters, and business activities.
Other artifacts included bronze coins used in everyday trade, as well as some gold coins. The gold coins date to the reign of Emperor Constantius II. He ruled the Roman Empire from 337 to 361 AD. Finding these coins in a remote desert farming community is highly unusual. It suggests the settlement may have been prosperous and connected to the empire's trade network.
This discovery provides historians with new insights into life in Egypt during the Byzantine Empire. This empire was the eastern continuation of the Roman Empire. At its height, it controlled large areas around the Mediterranean and lasted for more than 1,000 years.
Resources: Smithsonianmag.com, theguardian.com, egyptindependent.com
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28 Comments
- turiganovygu5 daysThe city is like a big house bro still how did they get to make that!???
- larukasakulu9 daysIt is very cool
wamanigazace12 daysI think this is were the Israelites lived
starstricken13 daysomg thats so cool
ihaveaname112 daysthat is nice
somufatukepu15 daysI surprised the team found this lost Egypt City
ilovehenrydsaf116 dayson my that is awesome!
kejjeje48917 daysWooooooow- hucabyzohizu18 daysthis is absulotly amazing
- mivozecajira19 daysnice house
gopigidudezo19 dayshow did they build that????!!!!!!!
