The temperature is over 112 degrees.
The desert sands crawl with venomous scorpions Yet with one, single shovelful of dirt, Egyptian
archaeologists make the discovery of a lifetime.
3400 years ago, in a move that nearly divided one of the oldest civilizations on earth in
two, pharaoh Akhenaten abandoned the traditional Egyptian capital of Thebes.
Forcing his entire household and thousands of his subjects to relocate, Akhenaten ordered
the construction of a new capital dedicated to a brand new religion: the worship of Aten,
god of the Sun.
The move proves controversial, and abandon's Egypt's thousands-year old polytheism, along
with its capital and all its temples dedicated to the myriad of gods worshipped by the Egyptians.
Yet as pharaoh, Akhenaten was himself a living god, making his word a divine command.
But Akhenaten's new religion would not survive for long after his death.
In the second year of his reign, Akhenaten's son, Tutankhaten, changed his name to Tutankhamun,
and with the name change ordered yet a second exodus from his father's new capital back
to the traditional seat of Egyptian power in Thebes.
Successive generations of pharaohs would work to all but eradicate Akhenaten and his heresy
from history, tearing down his temples and destroying all mention of Atenism.
Part of that legacy would include what archaeologists dubbed the “lost golden city of Luxor”,
buried beneath the sands for over three thousand years, until today.
It's being called the second most important arcahelogical discovery since the tomb of
Tutankhamun- a massive settlement located on the west bank of the Luxor and forgotten
by time for milliena.
Originally on the hunt for King Tutankhamen's mortuary temple, archaeologists sifting through
the Egyptian sands were shocked to discover neat rows of brick laid out in all directions.
As the digging continued, what was originally believed to be a small complex turned out
to be an entire city.
Rumors of a lost city had pervaded Egyptology for over a century, and yet no explorer had
ever turned up the location of what is now being called Aten.
Buried beneath several feet of sand, the site would have been impossible to locate without
a great deal of digging, and there's no telling just how many explorers wandered by atop the
lost city, completely unaware of what lurked just beneath their feet.
While details are still sparse on who lived here and why, what is known is that the city
was active when Egypt was at its wealthiest, and that whoever lived here must have included
a large number of skilled workers and government administrators.
Though hieroglyphic inscriptions found on wine vessels, as well as the discovery of
King Amehotep III's cartouche imprinted onto rings, scarabs, pottery and mud bricks, arcahelogists
have been able to date the city at over 3,000 years old- right to the Amarna heresy and
Egypt's theological struggles.
The dig is far from complete, but already archaelogists have unearthed enough of the
city to give them crucial details of daily life for the people who lived there.
A large bakery and kitchen have been unearthed, complete with ovens for baking bread and pottery
for storage of food items.
A workshop nearby still held casting molds and tools, showing that the site was used
for the mass production of amulets and ornaments- hinting that the city had a significant part
to play in the construction and decoration of tombs and temples.
Perhaps even, this city directly supported pharaoh Akhematen's heresy, producing religious
articles dedicated to Atenism.
A residential district with homes lining both sides of a large street was also discovered.
Many of these homes had walls as high as ten feet, and amongst the homes was an administrative
center no doubt crucial to the government's operations in the area.
Most telling of all though was the discovery of a tall, zig-zagging wall that encompassed
the entire residential and administrative area, with only a single opening.
This hinted that the design was not for decoration, but rather for security, with the wall's single
entry being easily defensible and keeping the residents and government workers safe
from attack.
But why would a large city in the heart of the Egyptian kingdom during its most prosperous
time in history need such protection?
This discovery might give further credence to the possibility that this lost city was
in fact directly responsible for the creation of religious items and temples dedicated to
Atenism.
Despite Akhenaten's command to abandon polytheism for Atenism, the move proved to be wildly
unpopular amongst most Egyptians.
Perhaps the city and its inhabitants found themselves under threat of attack by religious
terrorists, unhappy with Akhenaten's forced conversion of the nation.
Perhaps that's why the city was completely abandoned and forgotten by history until today.
Egypt's loss is our gain though, as archaelogists have discovered entire homes and workshops
full of tools and everyday items, giving them incredible new insights into the daily life
of ancient Egyptians.
Everything from regular household items to tools used for spinning and weaving, along
with metal and glassmaking slag has been discovered, all left behind almost as if the inhabitants
simply got up and left suddenly.
The complete abandonment of such a large industrial center clearly shows that someone was very
motivated to make sure this golden city be forgotten by history- and only a pharaoh would
have the power to give such a command.
Was this city crucial to Akhenaten's forced conversion of Egypt, a move that would have
him labeled a criminal by future pharaohs and his legacy almost completely wiped out
from history?
Were the inhabitants all murdered for their duplicity in the Amarna heresy that almost
tore Egypt in two at its most prosperous?
Why was an entire city so abruptly abandoned, to the point of entire households leaving
their belongings behind for the sands to swallow up?
Only time will tell as Egyptologists continue to work at the site, uncovering more and more
of the city day by day.
Now go watch Evidence reveals how the pyramids were actually built, or click this other video
instead!