Byzantine Christian Town Discovered in Egypt's Dakhla Oasis

A 1,600-year-old Byzantine Christian settlement has been unearthed in the Dakhla Oasis in Egypt's western desert, according to a statement from Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The site, dating to the fourth century C.E., includes mud-brick structures, a grid of streets, a basilica, two watchtowers, a fortress, and houses with vaulted ceilings. Archaeologists found kitchenware, oil and perfume bottles, lamps, millstones, ovens, and about 200 ostraca (pottery sherds) inscribed with receipts and correspondence in Coptic and Greek. Bronze coins stamped with Byzantine emperors and gold coins from the reign of Constantius II (son of Constantine the Great) were also discovered. Mahmoud Massoud leads the excavation; Colin Hope, an archaeologist at Monash University and Dakhla Oasis expert not involved in the dig, noted that fourth-century activity declined but remained significant, with many Christian sites. The settlement's main streets run north-south, with smaller east-west streets forming open squares, suggesting urban planning. The discovery sheds light on daily life in a Byzantine Christian community in Egypt.