Lost Nile city discovered: Details of religion and Cobra Goddess Wadjet revealed

In Egypt’s eastern Nile Delta, there once thrived a city known as Imet. Archaeologists discovered the lost ancient city while excavating Tell el-Fara’in r, an area east of the Nile Delta. Among the ruins hide the many secrets of the Imet - its culture, religion and architecture. Besides, the most intriguing discovery is that the city had a patron deity, the cobra goddess Wadjet. The city offers hints of what life was like during the early-to-middle-fourth century BC in Egypt. The city was first noticed in high-resolution satellite imagery through remote sensing. Scientists saw clusters of ancient mudbricks down below. To learn more about what they were seeing, the scientists dug up the area, and this is when they discovered the tower houses.

Researchers at the University of Manchester studied the site and found architectural marvels. There were “substantial tower houses,” which they say were multi-story buildings with exceptionally thick foundation walls. The scientists state that these tower houses were mostly found in the Nile Delta, but were rare elsewhere. This shows that Imet was a thriving city. “These tower houses are mainly found in the Nile Delta between the Late Period and the Roman era, and are rare elsewhere in Egypt,” Nicky Nielsen, researcher with the University of Manchester, said in a statement. “Their presence here shows that Imet was a thriving and densely built city with a complex urban infrastructure.”

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Religion lost prominence in Egypt

Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, said in a translated statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, that the thick foundation walls were meant to support the huge structures that were built to accommodate several people at the same time. They also found a grain processing centre, with animal enclosures, shedding light on the economy of the city. Another aspect that comes to light is how religion likely faded at one point in time in Imet.

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Scientists discovered a large structure from the mid-Ptolemaic Period of about 200 BC with a limestone plaster floor and impressive pillars wrapped with stucco. The building was constructed on a road that once connected to the temple of Wadjet. Researchers think that since the ceremonial road was covered, it reflects that religion didn't remain a big thing by this time in Egypt. This temple was initially built by Ramses II in the mid-1200s BC, and Ahmose II again had work done on it in the mid-500s BC.

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Nielsen said in the statement that Imet held an important position in the New Kingdom, between 1550 and 1069 BC. It was located along trade routes, which gave it further prominence. This was especially true in the case of Wadjet pilgrims and merchants who visited the city. “This discovery opens new doors to our understanding of daily life, spirituality, and urban planning in the Delta,” Nielsen said. “Imet is emerging as a key site for rethinking the archaeology of Late Period Egypt.”