Preliminary studies suggest the structure may be one of the four sun temples of this pharaonic dynasty. Photo: Latin Press
An archeological mission discovered an adobe building south of this capital that may be one of the four sun temples of Ancient Egypt’s Fifth Dynasty (2494-2345 BC), an official source reported.
Mustafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Antiquities Council, said in a statement that the find was made by Italian and Polish archaeologists working at the temple of Pharaoh Ni Osir Ra north of Abu Sir near the Saqqara necropolis.
Preliminary studies suggest the structure could be one of the four sun temples of this pharaonic dynasty known from historical sources that have not yet been discovered, said Wazari, who assured excavations at the site are being completed to obtain more evidence .
The building is accessed through a limestone entrance leading to the area between the warehouses (to the north) and the large courtyard (to the west) where there is a clay floor with huge blocks of quartz, some of which have a ballasted face and are below ground embedded in the temple, according to the expert in detail.
Ayman Ashmawy, head of the council’s Egyptian antiquities department, said the remains of the building suggest it was constructed of mudbrick, noting that ceramic pots, which may have been used in temple founding rituals, were discovered at the site.
Likewise, Mohamed Youssef, director of Saqqara’s Antiquities District, specified that the foundation deposits were found at the level of the adobe wall and consisted of beer mugs and clay pots, some with red rims.
Fragments of clay seals with royal names have also been found, including that of the fifth dynasty pharaoh Shepseskare, about whom little is known, said Rosanna Birley, head of missions at the University of Naples.
The new discoveries could change our knowledge of the history of this ruler in particular and the fifth dynasty in general, the specialist added.
For his part, Massimiliano Nozolo, head of the mission of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, confirmed that the team intends to complete its work soon to unveil the ancient temple and the mysteries it holds.
(With information from Prensa Latina)