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
godismysavior19 dayscool- pofolarijucy20 dayscool
tigereen13789420 daysbut cool- tigereen13789420 daysI think those coins are worthless
- arsmarty3 daysI think the coins might cost about 3000 dollars if put for sale on that topic, but its prolly going to a museum
hojikyhosaha19 daysbro this civilisation is like a 1000 years old the currency was diffferent
ilikeicecream2320 daysThis is one of my fav articles- ilikeicecream2320 daysnice
- revamiryjedi20 daysNot necessarily what I would call a "city", but interesting nonetheless.
- arsmarty3 dayswell, I would still say its a city because back then they did not have the same city building technology as we do now to build large cities like Chicago, New York, Tokyo, Seoul and so other cities
- lazykavymagy20 daysWhoa that’s so cool. I wish I could see that I love Egyptians. I have a whole book about it. It’s so cool.
- arsmarty3 daysme too I like mythology
- ladupoduzoru20 daysHi this artical is so cool
- rose1320 daysthat's awsome
