When you think of Ancient Egypt, you might imagine towering pyramids, majestic temples, and the noseless Great Sphinx of Giza. But the iconic civilization produced many more architectural wonders than the monuments for which it is best known today, and one such example has just been discovered in the sands of Sinai.
Archaeologists working in northern Sinai (the Egyptian peninsula bordering Israel) have discovered an ancient Egyptian military fort. New Kingdom era (1550–1077 BC) along the Military Road of Gora. Also known as “The Path of Horus” it was a chain of ancient Egyptian fortifications in North Sinai, created during the New Kingdom. The newly discovered fort is one of the largest and most important in the chain, according to post on social networks Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt.
“The fortresses likely served as rest stops for trade caravans heading to Egypt, as well as resupply sites for the Egyptian army as it embarked on campaigns across the Middle East.” Nicky Nilsson– says an Egyptologist from the University of Manchester, who did not take part in the discovery. Popular Science.
During archaeological excavations, defensive towers were discovered; parts of the northern, western and southern walls; the distinctive New Kingdom wall surrounding the soldiers' residential area; ceramic shards and vessels, including a handle with a name Thutmose Ipharaoh from 18th Dynasty (c. 1539–1292 BC). They also found a large bread oven and fossilized dough, confirming that the soldiers went about their daily lives in the fortress.
“Bread was a staple food for the Egyptians—especially bread and beer,” Nilsson explains. “There are several later texts (reign of Ramesses II) that talk about providing food for the army, and bread is mentioned as the main food.”
He explains that the text belongs to a genre of biased works called The hardships of a soldier's life the purpose of which was to show student scribes the difficulties of soldiering. Indeed, the passage that Nielsen highlights is grim:
His bread and his water are on his shoulders like the burden of a donkey; his neck formed a crest like that of a donkey. The vertebrae in his back are broken as he drinks the stinking water and only stops to watch.
The fortress appears to have undergone a number of restorations and modifications, and archaeologists expect to find a military port near the coast that served it. Moreover, according to the report, its area is about 86,111 square feet (8,000 square meters), which is three times the area of another fortress discovered about 700 meters away in the 1980s.
Mohamed Ismail Khaled, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained in a ministry release that the discovery provides insight into the fortifications of Egypt's eastern borders during that time period, and that each new fortress that comes to light emphasizes that ancient Egypt was more than just tombs and temples – it was a strong state capable of defending itself.
However, “the site is important for understanding not only how the Egyptian state defended its newly conquered territories in the Sinai at the beginning of the New Kingdom, but also how it organized its occupation and mediated its relations with the local population and foreign powers.” Christian garlicsays an archaeologist from Swansea University, specializing in ancient Egypt and Nubia. Popular Science. “On the one hand, this demonstrates the enormous investment of material and human resources required to occupy this territory, but probably also the economic and political rewards for doing so.”
Moving forward, the team hopes to reveal the remaining walls and associated structures.
