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AP CAIRO – Egypt's antiquities authority announced on Wednesday the discovery of an ancient trading settlement in one of its desert oases dating back more than 3,500 years, a millennium older than previous discoveries in the area.
The Yale University mission discovered the settlement while excavating in Kharga Oasis, more than 300 miles (500 kilometers) south of Cairo in the Western Desert. The site is on what was once a bustling trade route between the ancient Egyptian civilization in the Nile valley and the rest of Africa, said the statement from the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
Mission head John Darnell said the site had a massive baking operation suggesting it may have been a food production center.
The site reached its peak during the latter years of the Middle Kingdom (1786-1665 B.C.).
Posts: 3344 | From: Berkeley | Registered: Oct 2003
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Interesting. NOW they want to focus on the Sahara eh? Wonder if this has anything to do with Bauval's new book where he also talks about discoveries in the Egyptian Sahara. Although Bauval is talking about Pre-Dynastic Egypt not the 2nd Intermediate Period. But at least they're now ackowledging there were important things going on in this region. Here's the most telling part of the article...
"The bustling ancient city, which produced enough bread literally to feed an army, suggests a fourth faction with strong ties to Pharaonic culture flourished in this Western region."
Clearly more research needs to be done on this "4th Faction" though.
Posts: 1219 | From: North Carolina, USA | Registered: Jul 2004
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^ Don't forget the discovery of Uan Muhuggiag in Libya, one of the earliest known mummies in the world and one which was mummified millennia before the first mummies in Egypt.
By the way, considering that this region is still in North Africa, don't be surprised if Euronuts want to make the peoples of the area Caca-zoid too.
Posts: 26246 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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