A team of Egyptian archaeologists has discovered what some describe as a royal metropolis north of present-day Luxor, encompassing the once-ancient Egyptian city of Thebes (also known as Waset). The archaeologists have dubbed the site the “Lost Golden City of Luxor,”and believe it may have been dedicated to the manufacture of decorative objects, furniture, and ceramics, among other things.
The city is 3,000 years old and dates from the reign of Amenhotep (or Amenophis) III, one of Egypt's most powerful pharaohs, who ruled from 1391 to 1353 BC. The city continued to be used by the pharaohs Ay and Tutankhamun, whose nearly intact tomb was discovered in the Valley of the Kings by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922.
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The royal city was built by Amenhotep III and abandoned by his heretic son, Akhenaten. Akhenaten built another city, where he reigned with his wife, Nefertiti, worshipping the Sun. After his death, his young son, Tutankhamun, ascended the throne, turning his back on his father's controversial legacy.
But why did Akhenaten abandon Thebes, which had been the capital for over 150 years? Specifically, he moved his seat from Thebes to a new city, which he named Akhetaten (present-day Amarna) and led an artistic revolution that changed Egyptian art.
However, after his death, his legacy was erased: His son, Tutankhamun, erased it all from history, and only the discovery of Amarna in the 18th century brought his legacy to light.
The newly discovered city provides evidence of these events, shedding light on one of the great mysteries of Egyptian history.
The discovery of the 3,000-year-old city lost under the sands of Egypt is one of the most important archaeological finds from Tutankhamun's tomb.
Renowned Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass , who led the Egyptian team, announced the discovery of the “lost golden city” in April in a Facebook post . He said the find is the largest ancient city, known as Aten, ever discovered in Egypt .
The team began excavations in September 2020 on the west bank of Luxor near the Valley of the Kings, about 500 km (300 miles) south of Cairo. In its statement, it said: “What we discovered was the site of a large city that was still well preserved. Its walls have been almost completely preserved, while tools of daily life were found in the rooms. The archaeological layers “left” by the ancient inhabitants have remained untouched for thousands of years.”
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"The discovery of this lost city is the second most important archaeological discovery since Tutankhamun's tomb," said Betsy Bryan, professor of Egyptology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA.
Brian added that the city gives us a rare glimpse into the lives of ancient Egyptians, at a time when the empire was at the height of its wealth.
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The excavation revealed a large number of valuable archaeological finds, including jewelry, scarabs, fragments of thousands of statues, colored ceramics, and mud bricks bearing seals of Amenhotep III.
“Within a few weeks, to the team’s great surprise, mud brick formations began to appear in all directions,” Havas said.
Seven months after the excavation began, several areas and neighborhoods have been uncovered, including a bakery, an administrative area and a residential area. “Many foreign expeditions have searched for this city but have never found it,” Havas added. He said further archaeological work was underway and his team expected to discover untouched tombs full of treasures.
