Archaeologists discover ancient Egyptian pharaoh's fortified royal retreat

It is likely that the ancient building in Sinai was used as a royal rest house thanks to the architectural layout and the scarcity of pottery shards found inside, according to the MTA. The pharaoh himself may have used the facility during his military campaigns to expand the Egyptian empire to the east, researchers believe.

The building consists of two consecutive rectangular halls, accompanied by a number of rooms. It appears to have been fortified with a perimeter wall.

"This discovery is pivotal as it illuminates crucial aspects of Egypt's military history, particularly in the Sinai region, during the New Kingdom era," said Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, as reported by Ahram Online.

Archaeological work at the site also uncovered a number of burials, indicating that it was used as a cemetery during later periods in ancient Egyptian history.

The latest discovery is just one of many ancient finds reported from Egypt in recent months.

For example, archaeologists announced earlier this year that they had uncovered the missing upper part of a "huge" statue depicting an ancient Egyptian pharaoh.

A joint Egyptian-American archaeological mission discovered the statue part during excavations conducted at the southern border of the Khemenu/Hermopolis Magna archaeological site, Yvona Trnka-Amrhein, one of the leaders of the project, previously told Newsweek.

The ancient city of Khemenu was a provincial capital since Egypt's Old Kingdom and developed into a major settlement during the Roman period.

In January, another team unearthed several ancient tombs with dozens of mummies—including some with golden tongues—at the ancient city of Oxyrhynchus, an extensive archaeological site located around 100 miles south-southwest of Cairo near the modern-day municipality of Al-Bahnasa in Minya Governorate.

Oxyrhynchus was "very important" during ancient Egypt's Greco-Roman period, which spanned hundreds of years from the late fourth century B.C. until the 7th century, Esther Pons Mellado and Maite Mascort, co-directors of a Spanish archaeological mission at the site, previously told Newsweek.

"[It] was the second city of Egypt after Alexandria. There was a great business and cultural relationship between these two cities," they said.

Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about archaeology? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

");jQuery(this).remove()}) jQuery('.start-slider').owlCarousel({loop:!1,margin:10,nav:!0,items:1}).on('changed.owl.carousel',function(event){var currentItem=event.item.index;var totalItems=event.item.count;if(currentItem===0){jQuery('.owl-prev').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-prev').removeClass('disabled')} if(currentItem===totalItems-1){jQuery('.owl-next').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-next').removeClass('disabled')}})}})})