Egyptian archaeologists say they have discovered a 1,800-year-old “complete residential city from the Roman-era” in the heart of the southern city of Luxor.
The head of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mostafa Waziri, who confirmed the discovery in a statement on Wednesday, said the city, dating back to the second and third centuries, is the “oldest and most important city found on the eastern bank of Luxor.”
According to Waziri, the archaeologists discovered “a number of residential buildings, as well as two pigeon towers, a structure used to house pigeons or doves, and a “number of metal workshops.”
“Inside the workshops, researchers found a collection of pots, tools and bronze and copper Roman coins,” he said.
“It is a rare archaeological find in Egypt, where excavations, including on Luxor’s west bank, where the famous Valley of the Queens and Valley of the Kings lie, are most commonly of temples and tombs,” Waziri said.
The discovery of the Roman City is coming after Egyptian authorities announced the discovery of a 3, 000-year-old “lost golden city” on Luxor’s west bank in April 2021, which the archaeological team called the largest ancient city ever uncovered in Egypt.
In recent years, Egypt has unveiled several major archaeological discoveries in recent years and though critics say the flurry of excavations has prioritised finds shown to grab media attention over hard academic research, the government say the discoveries have been a key component of country’s attempts to revive its vital tourism industry after years of political unrest, and the COVID-19 pandemic.