Archaeologists have discovered what they believe to be one of the lost “Sun Temples” of Egypt, dating back approximately 4,500 years.
The research team uncovered the remnants of the “Sun Temple” beneath another temple in Abu Ghurab, located about 17 kilometers south of Cairo, as shared by Mr. Massimiliano Nuzzolo, an assistant professor of Egyptology at the Mediterranean and Oriental Culture Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, with CNN.
The recently discovered Sun Temple was built with mud bricks and stone. (Photo CNN).
In 1898, archaeologists working at this site discovered the Sun Temple of Nyuserra, also known as Neuserre or Nyuserre, the sixth king of the Fifth Dynasty, who ruled Egypt from 2400 to 2370 BC.
Now, they have found that this Sun Temple was actually built above another Sun Temple that existed prior to Nyuserra’s time.
Findings include seals inscribed with the names of kings who reigned before Nyuserra, which were used as closures for jars, as well as the bases of two limestone columns that are part of an entrance and a limestone threshold.
Mr. Nuzzolo stated that the newly discovered Sun Temple is impressively sized, but King Nyuserra destroyed it to construct his own Sun Temple.
Archaeologists aim to discover which king was responsible for building this 4,500-year-old temple. (Photo CNN)
These temples were dedicated to the worship of the sun god, and kings legitimized their power through their own temples, claiming to be the sole sons of the sun god on Earth, Mr. Nuzzolo explained.
The research team hopes to identify the king responsible for constructing the 4,500-year-old temple through further excavations.
In particular, “studying the ceramics will allow them to learn more about how people lived at that time, including what they ate and what they believed in,” Mr. Nuzzolo added.
