Subscribe now for full access and no adverts
Archaeologists from Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities have uncovered the remains of a residential city dating to the 4th and 5th centuries AD at the Ain Al-Sabil archaeological site in the Dakhla Oasis, New Valley Governorate, in Egypt’s Western Desert.
Excavations revealed a settlement made up of mud-brick buildings with an organised urban layout featuring main thoroughfares running north to south, intersected by streets running east–west, creating open spaces and plazas between them. In the centre of the city, on one of its main streets, is a basilica-style church dating to the mid-4th century, which would have served as a key religious and community hub. Two watchtowers overlook the city’s outskirts; elsewhere, a heavily fortified structure features thick defensive walls. The archaeologists also uncovered a number of houses with spacious reception rooms and vaulted ceilings, as well as kitchens, bread ovens, and a wealth of objects related to daily activities including pottery vessels, flasks used for storing oils and perfumes, oil lamps, and stone tools used to grind grain. Two of these houses are particularly notable. The first, dating to the early 4th century AD, belonged to an individual called Tabibos and is believed to have served as an early church before the construction of the city’s basilica. A later structure, dating to the second half of the century, was home to a man called Tisous, who was a church deacon.
Of note, too, is a collection of c.200 ostraca (ceramic sherds) with inscriptions in Coptic and Greek documenting business transactions, personal correspondence, and other details of the lives of the residents. Additional finds include bronze coins featuring images of Byzantine emperors, Latin inscriptions, and Christian symbols; and a group of gold coins dating to the reign of the Emperor Constantius II (r. AD 337-361).
Dr Hisham El-Leithy, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, commented that the discovery’s importance lies in the new, precise information it offers about the daily life of an Egyptian community in this area, during an important period in the country’s history, from architectural practices and urban planning to social, religious, and economic activities.
Text: Amy Brunskill / Image: Egypt Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
