A 3000-Year-Old Lost Golden City of Luxor Has Been Unearthed in Egypt

Egypt unveils discovery of 3000-year-old “Lost Gold City” in Luxor

An Egyptian archeological mission announced on Thursday the discovery of a 3,000-year-old “Lost Gold City” (LGC) in Egypt’s monument-rich city of Luxor. An Egyptian mission, headed by renowned Egyptian archeologist Zahi Hawass, in collaboration with Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, found the city that was lost under the sand. The city, known as “The Rise of Aten,” dates to the reign of Amenhotep III, and continued to be used by king Tutankhamun.

A “lost golden city” in Egypt dating back 3,400 years has been revealed in what is being called the most important discovery in the country since the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922. The city, buried under sands near the modern-day city of Luxor for three millennia, was uncovered in September 2020 by a team led by famous Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass and was revealed to the world Thursday, April 9^th, 2021.

“This is amazing because actually, we know a lot about tombs and the afterlife,” said Hawass “But now we discover a large city to tell us for the first time about the life of the people during the Golden Age.”

Egyptologists applauded the discovery on social media calling it “extraordinary” and a valuable source of information to better understand Egypt’s past civilizations.

“Settlement archaeology is extremely valuable for learning true historical facts and broaden our understanding of how the ancient Egyptians lived,” tweeted Paola Cartagena, a graduate student at the University of Manchester studying Egyptology. Archaeologists started excavating in September in the area between the temples of King Ramses III and Amenhotep III. The original goal of the mission was to find King Tutankhamen’s mortuary temple, said the statement.

“Within weeks, to the team’s great surprise, formations of mud bricks began to appear in all directions,” said the statement. “What they unearthed was the site of a large city in a good condition of preservation, with almost complete walls, and with rooms filled with tools of daily life.”

So far, several enclaves of the city have been uncovered. In the southern part, the archaeologists found a bakery and a large kitchen complete with ovens and pottery to store food, said the statement. They also found an administrative and residential district fenced in by a zigzag wall with only one entrance, suggesting it was to provide security, said the statement.

In a third area was a workshop. The team also found casting molds to produce amulets and ornaments, apparently for temples and tombs, according to the statement.

“All over the excavated areas, the mission has found many tools used in some sort of industrial activity like spinning and weaving,” the statement said, adding that metal and glassmaking slag has also been found.

 In other parts of the city, the graves of two cows or bulls were found in a room. And in another area where the remains of a person, found with arms outstretched to his side and a rope wrapped around his knees. The team is investigating both cases to glean more information about social practices during that era, the statement said.

A large cemetery was found to the north of the city, as well as a group of tombs cut from the rock.

“Work is underway, and the mission expects to uncover untouched tombs filled with treasures.

The Lost Golden City of Luxor has been called the “second most important archeological discovery since the tomb of Tutankhamun.” Today in collaboration with the Binational Fulbright Commission in Egypt was granted a world-exclusive tour of the site ahead of its global media reveal.

Joining famed archaeologist Dr. Zahi Hawass, Dr. Mostafa Waziry (Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities) and Dr. Maggie Nassif (Executive Director of the Fulbright Commission in Egypt),

The city’s discovery began with Dr Hawass leading an Egyptian mission in Luxor in September 2020, which originally sought out Tutankhamun’s Mortuary Temple. Within weeks, the sands gave way to reveal massive brick formations, almost perfectly preserved within the desert, much like a mummy. Fully formed walls surrounded rooms that still contained many of the tools and niceties of everyday life, like rings and colored pottery.

After seven months, several neighborhoods were uncovered. The southern district contained a bakery and kitchen featuring an oven and a prep area. Another area held administrative offices, with units fenced by zigzag walls, which was the fashion of the time. On the other side of town, they found a workshop with casting molds for amulets and delicate decorations, and another side which produced bricks bearing the cartouche of the ruler of the time, King Amenhotep III – cartouches which, incidentally, helped date the city. Finally Dr. Zahi Hwas announced that will be a great surprise soon for the discover of the century stay tunned.