Egypt's recent archaeological efforts have yielded two significant discoveries illuminating Late Antiquity, including an exceptionally preserved, planned Byzantine settlement at Ain el-Sabil in the Dakhla Oasis, featuring a fourth-century basilica, defensive fortress, and detailed insights into domestic life through residential structures and artifacts like ostraca and coins, alongside eighteen newly uncovered Greco-Roman tombs near Alexandria at Marina el-Alamein, with a notable granite sarcophagus and evidence of the "golden tongue" burial ritual, all of which collectively offer a comprehensive view of life, trade, religious practices, and burial customs during a period of profound cultural transformation, while simultaneously bolstering Egypt's tourism industry.

Egypt's recent archaeological efforts have yielded two significant discoveries illuminating Late Antiquity, including an exceptionally preserved, planned Byzantine settlement at Ain el-Sabil in the Dakhla Oasis, featuring a fourth-century basilica, defensive fortress, and detailed insights into domestic life through residential structures and artifacts like ostraca and coins, alongside eighteen newly uncovered Greco-Roman tombs near Alexandria at Marina el-Alamein, with a notable granite sarcophagus and evidence of the "golden tongue" burial ritual, all of which collectively offer a comprehensive view of life, trade, religious practices, and burial customs during a period of profound cultural transformation, while simultaneously bolstering Egypt's tourism industry.

Egypt's recent archaeological efforts have yielded two significant discoveries illuminating Late Antiquity, including an exceptionally preserved, planned Byzantine settlement at Ain el-Sabil in the Dakhla Oasis, featuring a fourth-century basilica, defensive fortress, and detailed insights into domestic life through residential structures and artifacts like ostraca and coins, alongside eighteen newly uncovered Greco-Roman tombs near Alexandria at Marina el-Alamein, with a notable granite sarcophagus and evidence of the "golden tongue" burial ritual, all of which collectively offer a comprehensive view of life, trade, religious practices, and burial customs during a period of profound cultural transformation, while simultaneously bolstering Egypt's tourism industry.

Egypt has made two remarkable archaeological discoveries in recent excavations, casting fresh light on life during Late Antiquity: an exceptionally well-preserved Byzantine-era settlement in the western desert and a series of Greco-Roman tombs near Alexandria.

At Ain el-Sabil in the Dakhla Oasis, in Egypt's New Valley province, archaeologists have uncovered an entire mudbrick city from the Byzantine period. Unlike many ancient settlements that took shape gradually, this one followed a carefully planned layout from the outset. Broad north-south streets cross east-west roads, creating an orderly grid dotted with public squares and open spaces.

At the settlement's centre stands a basilica dating from the mid-fourth century CE. Facing one of the city's main thoroughfares, it seems to have served as the focal point of both religious and community life. The discovery also underscores the archaeological importance of the Dakhla Oasis, currently included on UNESCO's World Heritage list.

The settlement was designed for defence as well as daily life. Archaeologists found a fortress with massive walls and watchtowers guarding the city's edges, reflecting concerns over security during the often turbulent closing centuries of the Roman Empire. Residential buildings contain spacious rooms, vaulted ceilings, kitchens, bread ovens and stone grinding tools, offering an unusually detailed glimpse of domestic life.

Among the most important finds are two identifiable homes. One belonged to Tisus, a church deacon who lived during the second half of the fourth century. Another belonged to Tabipus and dates to the early fourth century. Researchers believe this building may have served as a house church before the basilica was built, illustrating how Christianity gradually took hold institutionally even in this remote oasis.

The artefacts recovered point to a thriving community with close ties to the wider Byzantine world. Archaeologists found pottery, oil lamps and ampullae used to store oils and perfumes. Especially valuable are around 200 ostraca, pottery fragments used as inexpensive writing surfaces. There are commercial transactions, personal correspondence and administrative matters, written in both Greek and Coptic, offering a rare window into the settlement's social and economic life.

Numerous bronze coins bearing portraits of Byzantine emperors, Latin inscriptions and Christian symbols, along with gold coins from the time of Emperor Constantius II, who ruled between 337 CE and 361 CE, have also been found. Together, the coins reveal both the oasis's integration into the imperial economy and the growing prominence of Christianity within official state symbolism.

Meanwhile, roughly 100 kilometres west of Alexandria, archaeologists working at Marina el-Alamein uncovered 18 additional tombs belonging to the ancient Mediterranean port city of Leukaspis, which flourished between the second and fourth centuries CE. The finds include 11 rock-cut tombs, averaging eight metres in depth, and seven limestone-built surface tombs, bringing the site's total to 48.

The tombs held a rich collection of funeral objects, including pottery vessels, lamps, altars and limestone basins. One of the most striking discoveries is a 2.5-metre granite sarcophagus containing human skeletal remains, together with fragments of a plaster sphinx. Researchers continue to study the remains.

A recently discovered artifact is displayed in the Marina el-Alamein archaeological site | Egypt's Ministery of Tourism and Antiquities / AP

Perhaps the most intriguing discovery is evidence of the so-called "golden tongue" burial ritual. Several individuals were buried with small pieces of gold placed inside their mouths, a funeral practice bound up with Greco-Roman beliefs about the afterlife and the soul's journey beyond death.

The latest discoveries provide a detailed picture about Egypt during a period of major political, religious and cultural changes. They show how people lived, traded, worshipped and buried their dead, while offering fresh evidence of the spread of Christianity and the continued influence of Greco-Roman traditions.

They also carry significance beyond archaeology. Egyptian authorities see such discoveries as an important driver of cultural tourism, one of the country's principal sources of foreign currency apart from the Suez Canal. After years of political instability and the disruption caused by the pandemic, tourism has rebounded strongly, drawing a record 19 million visitors last year. Well-preserved sites such as these bolster Egypt's efforts to expand its archaeological attractions and sustain that recovery.

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