Western Desert, Egypt-ahram online Reportedly, remains of a fortified city dating back to the 4th century Advertisement Discovered at the Ain el-Sabil site in the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt. Hisham El Leithy of the Supreme Council of Antiquities said the well-planned city was laid out on a grid, which created open squares and public spaces around a central basilica. Mahmoud Masoud of Dakhla Antiquities said traces of two watchtowers were found on the outskirts of the city. Pottery, oil and perfume bottles, oil lamps, and stone tools for grinding grain were recovered from mud brick houses with spacious reception areas and domed roofs. One of the residences has been identified as the home of a priest of the church named Tissaus, who lived in the second half of the 4th century. Another structure, the House of Tabibos, dates from the early 4th century and is believed to have been used as a church before the construction of the basilica. “One of the most important discoveries of the excavation is a collection of about 200 inscribed ostraca (fragments of pottery used as writing material) with inscriptions in both Coptic and Greek,” said Dia Zahran of the Islamic, Coptic and Jewish Antiquities Area. Ostraca were used to record a variety of information, such as commercial transactions and correspondence. Gold coins from the reign of Constantius II, who ruled Advertisement 337 to 361 were also recovered. For more information about Byzantine-era Egypt, visit “Recover hidden text“
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