New discoveries about Ancient Egyptian Temple change history

Archaeologists have discovered many important details in the area of ​​the Temple of Amun in Karnak, including: priestly baths, separate entrance for kings and ruins of a picture Huge walls built 3,000 years ago to block the banks of the Nile at that time.

Other archaeological relics include hundreds of copper coins. All of these findings have led experts to reconsider the history of the largest place of worship since ancient Egypt. Archaeologists paid special attention to the discovery of the dyke wall, as this was the first evidence that the Nile river once flowed along the Temple.

This area worshiping Amun-Re god has an area of ​​about 81 hectares near the city of Luxor today and about 200 meters from the current Nile. Archaeologists have accidentally discovered the dike wall while building a square and proceeding to preserve it near the temple's façade. Other relics were discovered during the survey of the wall.

Mansour Boraik, the Chief Supervisor of the Supreme Antiquities Council in Luxor, said: 'Exploring the wall not only changed the scene of Luxor but also changed our hypothesis about the formation of Luxor and even is the hypothesis of the process of building the temple. '

Change history

Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, and a member of National Geographic in Egypt, said the sandstone wall is about 7m high and about 2.5m wide but may be higher than in the past.'This is the biggest dyke wall ever built in ancient Egypt. This work is especially important because it protects the Temple from the annual floods of the Nile. ' The discovery of this dike has prompted scientists to rethink assumptions about the temple's façade in the past.

Temple facade image. (Photo: National Geogrphic)

Assumptions about the front and the front yard The temple was built based on illustrations in private tombs dating from the 18th dynasty (1550 - 1295 BC).

The figure is found in Neferhotep's first cellar, an officer at the time, depicting a large rectangular lake in front of the temple, connected to the Nile by a canal. Archaeologists discovered a part of the wall. first time in the 70s but thought it was in the lake above. This hypothesis remained stable until January of the beginning of the year, an Egyptian archaeologist discovered a part of the wall a few meters away, too far away to be part of the lake.

Now scientists believe that the lake appears in ancient paintings that have been filled and people have expanded the temple right on the old lake near the bank of the Nile 3,000 years ago.

A new way of looking at Karnak

The new hypothesis has been proved by sediment sample analysis of the baseboard. The results showed the presence of silt and sand at different levels, indicating a flow of water through it.

Based on the decorations and paintings on the wall, experts believe that this work was started on the 22nd dynasty (circa 945 - 715 BC) and completed in the middle of the fourth century ago. Public.

W. Raymond Johnson, an Egyptologist at the Oriental Research Institute at the University of Chicago, came to study and said that the discovery represents the high level of ancient Egyptian builders. ' They are talented and practical engineers. They knew that if they wanted to build a large structure on the banks of the Nile, they needed to build another reinforcement right in front of it. This also keeps the Nile from being eroded . '

This discovery reveals more about the ancient city of Thebes that Karnak used to be a religious center. Archaeologist Johnson said: 'We used to think that the landscape of the ancient Thebes hasn't changed, but now we have to reconsider it.'

Excavation site. (Photo: National Geogrphic)

New findings

During the excavation of the wall, archaeologists also discovered two public baths and a vase containing more than 300 coins dating from the Macedonian period ruling Egypt , around the fourth century to the second century. I BC.

A tub of silkworms is quite wide, the circle has been completely excavated. The bottom of the tank is paved with mosaic tiles and can accommodate 16 people. The other tank is being excavated and there are seats built on dolphin statues. The two baths were found outside the wall, and scientists thought it was built on the remaining alluvial beach after the Nile river shifted to the west.

The copper container is found near the bath and is being cleaned to study the carvings. On the coins is a drawing quite similar to the Macedonian King Ptolemy I, II and III.

The baths were probably used for the purpose of disinfecting visitors before setting foot in this sacred place.

Many other experts said that there may be a larger unexplored residential area.

Archaeologists are still unearthing a wide road leading straight into the Temple, which is named Pharaoh Taharka (or Taharqa), ruling Egypt around the end of the 7th century BC. This passage is a separate entrance of the king. The path leads to the Nile River so Pharaoh can enter the Temple right from his boat. This raises the possibility that ancient Egyptian boats might be buried somewhere in the riverbed before, including giant dragon boats carrying symbols of gods in religious ceremonies.

Johnson thinks that once the Nile has turned to the west, archaeological and Egyptian generations may find more details.'Anything that is still under that soil is an invaluable gift.'