Archaeologists in Egypt uncovered the ruins of a 3,000-year-old city called The Rise of Aten, which experts are calling one of the most momentous discoveries in Egypt since Tutankhamen’s tomb.
Renowned Egyptologist Zahi Hawass announced the unearthed “lost golden city” found near Luxor on Thursday.
The first mud brick formations of the city were discovered just weeks into the excavation, which began in September 2020. Now, seven months into the excavation, several areas of neighborhoods have been uncovered.
“Many Foreign Missions searched for this city and never found it,” said Hawass in a statement. “We began our work searching for the mortuary temple of Tutankhamun because the temples of both Horemheb and Ay were found in this area.”
The lost city is the largest ever found in Egypt and dates back to the reign of Amenhotep III, who ruled Egypt from 1391 to 1353 B.C. After his reign, the city continued to be used by Tutankhamun and Ay.
“The discovery of this lost city is the second most important archeological discovery since the tomb of Tutankhamun,” said Betsy Brian, Professor of Egyptology at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA.
She added that the city would “give us a rare glimpse into the life of the Ancient Egyptians at the time where the Empire was at his wealthiest.”
A wide area of archaeological finds such as rings, scarabs, colored pottery vessels, and mud bricks bearing the seal of King Amenhotep III were also discovered in the city and used to date the settlement to its appropriate time period.
The city was the largest administrative and industrial settlement on the western bank of Luxor during the Egyptian empire.
With Egypt’s tourism sector in shambles due to political instability, protests, and the coronavirus pandemic, the country is attempting to bring back visitors by promoting its ancient heritage.
Last week, the remains of Egypt’s ancient rulers were carried through Cairo in a historic procession from the neo-classical Egyptian Museum to the new National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.
Among the 22 mummies carried in the procession were Amenhotep III and his wife Queen Tiye.
