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Archaeologists uncover settlement from golden age of ancient Egypt

A newly discovered settlement in the north-western Nile delta was built by the Egyptian New Kingdom perhaps 3500 years ago and included a temple dedicated to pharaoh Ramesses II

By Taylor Mitchell Brown

10 April 2025

The site of a newly discovered ancient Egyptian settlement at Kom el-Nugus

S. Dhennin

Archaeologists have uncovered an ancient Egyptian settlement beneath Hellenistic ruins in the north-western Nile delta that may be as many as 3500 years old. The find provides new evidence of Egyptian expansion during the New Kingdom, a thriving period that lasted from 1550 to 1069 BC.

“These periods are well-known for being very rich,” says Sylvain Dhennin at the University of Lyon, France, a member of the team that made the discovery. Some of the most powerful and notable pharaohs, including Akhenaten, Tutankhamun and Ramesses…

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