Archaeologists have unearthed a long-lost Egyptian city that dates back 2,500 years.
Located around six miles (10 km) south of Tanis in Egypt’s Nile Delta, the city of Imet was once a bustling centre of religious and economic activity in the fourth century BC.
Excavations have now revealed the remains of granaries, animal pens, and a ceremonial building used in the worship of the cobra-headed goddess Wadjet.
Archaeologists even found substantial multi-storey ‘tower houses’ built to accommodate the city’s fast-growing population.
Dr Nicky Nielsen, an archaeologist from the University of Manchester who directed the excavation, says: ‘These tower houses are mainly found in the Nile Delta between the Late Period and the Roman era, and are rare elsewhere in Egypt.
‘Their presence here shows that Imet was a thriving and densely built city with a complex urban infrastructure.’
In collaboration with the University of Sadat City, researchers first spotted the ruins through remote sensing technology.
By studying high-definition satellite images, Dr Nielsen and his colleagues identified the clusters of ancient mudbrick structures which make up the lost city.
Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of the long-lost Egyptian city of Imet. Revealing the foundations of 2,500-year-old multi-storey ‘tower buildings’ and temple structures (pictured)
Archaeologists found a glazed ceramic funerary figurine called an ushabti. These point to the complex economic and religious life of the city’s ancient residents
Archaeologists believe that Imet was occupied from at least 1550 BC, during Egypt’s 18th Dynasty, and was the capital of its administrative district, called a Nome.
According to these latest excavations, Imet was at its peak during Egypt’s late period around the fourth century BC.
This was the last period of Egyptian rule and the height of the Ptolemaic dynasty before Alexander the Great conquered the region in 332 BC.
By selecting where to excavate using satellite imagery, archaeologists have now been able to reveal just how developed this city was at the height of its expansion.
Excavations uncovered dense architectural remains, including a large, paved area for processing grain and animal enclosures – pointing to an active local economy.
Imet was also home to a number of large tower buildings, constructed with exceptionally thick foundation walls.
The researchers say these were built to accommodate the city’s rapidly urbanising population.
Elsewhere, Dr Nielsen and his colleagues uncovered the remains of religious activity dedicated to the city’s patron goddess Wadjet.
These stela are carved with images of the god Harpocrates and protective imagery and likely date back to around the fourth century BC
Dr Nielsen told MailOnline: ‘Wadjet was the cobra goddess of Lower Egypt – the Nile Delta – and she was primarily worshipped during the Late Period, both through temple rituals but also by the donation of votive offerings.
‘For example, we have some evidence suggesting that one could give little ceramic figurines to the temple in exchange for favours from the goddess who was in particular associated with fertility.’
The excavations unearthed a large building with a limestone plaster floor and massive pillars, dating from Imet’s peak in the mid-Ptolemaic Period.
This building was constructed over the ceremonial road stretching from the entrance to the Temple of Wadjet to the gateway of the mudbrick wall which surrounded the temple.
‘This route was used for religious processions when statues of the goddess or other deities worshipped in the temple were carried around by priests to be seen by the population,’ says Dr Nielsen.
However, by the end of the fourth century BC, the processional route seems to have fallen out of use.
This suggests that Egypt’s religious landscape may have been undergoing some major changes during this period.
Alongside these large structures, the researchers also found several remarkable artefacts which hint at the lives of Imet’s long-lost residents.
Archaeologists were ‘surprised’ to find this bronze rattle, or sistrum, that would have been used in temples to worship the city’s cobra-headed patron goddess Wadjet
Archaeologists believe this sistrum may have fallen into the street when the building it was stored in collapsed
A stone tablet carved with symbols found at Imet
Dr Nielsen says he was particularly surprised to find a copper rattle called a sistrum carved with the face of the god Hathor lying in the street outside one of the tower houses.
Dr Nielsen says: ‘It was probably kept in a wooden box on one of the upper floors and when the house collapsed following its abandonment, it fell into the street.
‘It is a wonderful piece and something that tangibly links to the spiritual life of the inhabitants – these sorts of sistrums were used in temple rituals along with other instruments such as clappers, flutes and drums.’
Additionally, the archaeologists found a green faience ushabti – a type of glazed funerary figure – dating from between 664 and 525 BC and a stone slab with engravings of the god Harpocrates and protective symbols.
Dr Nielsen says these discoveries offer a valuable insight into the everyday lives of ancient Egyptians.
He says: ‘We have a very good understanding of ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs and funerary architecture, but archaeology in Egypt has traditionally focused less on daily life and settlement archaeology, so this, in a sense, helps to address that imbalance.’
WHO WAS ALEXANDER THE GREAT?
Alexander III of Macedon was born in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia in July 356 BC.
He died of a fever in Babylon in June 323 BC.
Alexander led an army across the Persian territories of Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt claiming the land as he went.
Alexander III of Macedon was born in Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia in July 356 BC
His greatest victory was at the Battle of Gaugamela, now northern Iraq, in 331 BC, and during his trek across these Persian territories, he was said to never have suffered a defeat.
This led him to be known as Alexander the Great.
Following this battle in Gaugamela, Alexander led his army a further 11,000 miles (17,700km), founded over 70 cities and created an empire that stretched across three continents.
This covered from Greece in the west, to Egypt in the south, Danube in the north, and Indian Punjab to the East.
Alexander was buried in Egypt, but it is thought his body was moved to prevent looting.
His fellow royals were traditionally interred in a cemetery near Vergina, far to the west.
The lavishly-furnished tomb of Alexander’s father, Philip II, was discovered during the 1970s.
