It's like something out of a dream and is being called the second most important discovery since the opening of Tutankhamun's tomb (陵墓)—an ancient lost city has been found near the famous Valley of the Kings.
Excavations (挖掘) began in September 2020 about 300miles south of Cairo, and before long "to the team's great surprise, formations of mud bricks began to appear in all directions". These are the words of famed Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass, who posted a statement of the discovery on Facebook.
It's the largest-ever lost city to be uncovered in Egypt, dating back to one of the most powerful pharaohs (法老) to rule during the kingdom's golden age, Amenhotep III.
Hawass described the city ruled by Amenhotep III from 1391 BCE to1353 BCE alongside his son, the equally famous Akhenaten, as being in "a good condition of preservation (保存状况), with almost complete walls, and with rooms filled with tools of daily life".
"Many foreigners searched for this city and never found it,"he added. "We began our work searching for the mortuary temple of Tutankhamun, because the temples of both Horemheb and Ay (two other pharaohs) were found in this area. "
Featuring walls in every direction, a rarity in ancient Egypt, the workplaces of craftsmen (工匠), such as brick-makers, glazers, and jewelers, have been discovered. Other areas for baking and storing food were also discovered, and the archaeologists determined that there would have been many workers there at one time —likely for festivals and other important ceremonies.
"The discovery of the Lost City will give us a rare look into the life of the Ancient Egyptians when Egypt was at its wealthiest," said Betsy Brian, an archaeologist at Johns Hopkins University.
