Cruel secrets behind an Egyptian city

Archaeologists have revealed the lives of ancient Egyptians, who built great works for the Pharaohs who were not comfortable at all if not harsh.

Bone artifacts from a disappearing city in central Egypt revealed that many civilians died in adolescence and had to live a humiliating life. Many people suffer from spinal injuries, poor nutrition and developmental delay.

The bones reveal the reverse of the construction of an ancient building.(Photo: BBC)

These relics were discovered in Amarna, once a capital built on the orders of Pharaoh Akhenaten 3,500 years ago. The hieroglyphic writing from this time records that Pharaoh - Tutankhamun's father, was forced to build a new city to honor Aten, whom he revered with temples, palaces and tombs.

Together with Queen Nefertiti, he abandoned the capital, Thebes, leaving behind the gods and Priests and marching his people north to an arid desert beside the Nile.

The city has a capacity of 50,000 people, built within 15 years. But within a few years of his death, the city was abandoned to the sandy wind.

For more than a decade scientists have been searching for any trace of Armana's collapse but to no avail. Recently, however, archaeologists from a British group made a breakthrough when finding human bones in the desert when the flood swept the area. These were the first pieces of bone that were clearly identified by workers living in the city and they revealed the horrific price they had to pay to fulfill the King's dream .

Professor Barry Kemp, who led the archeology team, said: 'These bones reveal the dark side of life, a startling contrast to the image Akhenaten wants to create about an escape from the sun and nature.'

Wall paintings found in the grave of high-ranking officials from this time show tables piled with food. But the bones of civilians living in the city reveal another story.

Professor Jerry Rose, University of Arkansas, USA and his team are analyzing Amarna bone fragments: 'The bones we find are incompatible with that lifestyle. Food is not excessive and certainly does not have high nutritional value. This is not a city of interest. '

Reconstruction of Armana stretches about 10km (Photo: BBC)

The population of Amarna is the lowest in the history of Egypt, but perhaps they still have to work hard to complete the king's ambitious project for a new capital.

The temple complex requires thousands of large stone blocks, working in the summer heat of 40oC, workers may have to take stones and transport 2.5 km distance to the city.

Bone relics show that many workers suffer from spinal injuries and many other injuries. Professor Rose said: 'These people have to work extremely hard at a very young age and have to load heavily. The young death rate among Amarna people is surprisingly high. Not many people live through the age of 35. Two-thirds of the population die before the age of 20. '

But perhaps this terrible schedule is not enough to explain the death at Amarna.

Akhanaten's son, Tutankhamen, died at the age of 20 and archaeologists began to believe there could be an epidemic here. This assumption coincides with the historical records of the Hittie, the enemy of Egypt, about the destruction of an epidemic spread from Egyptians taken prisoner during the reign of Tutankhamen. It is possible that this epidemic is the ultimate cause of the destruction of Amarna's people.