4,400-Year-Old Sun Temple Excavated in Egypt at Old Kingdom Necropolis

Archaeology Magazine ^ | December 15, 2025 | editors / unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

Ahram Online reports that more than half of the sun temple of the pharaoh Niuserre, who ruled from about 2420 to 2389 B.C. during the 5th Dynasty, has been uncovered in the Abusir necropolis. The monumental temple complex once covered more than 10,000 square feet, according to Massimiliano Nuzzolo of the University of Turin and Rossana Perilli of the University of Naples. This year, the excavation has revealed the entrance to the temple, the building's original floor, the base of a limestone column, parts of a granite column thought to have been part of the entrance portico, and granite doorframes and lintels. One massive threshold in the building had been inscribed with a hieroglyphic calendar of the temple's religious festivals and references to Niuserre. A ramp that likely connected the temple to the Nile River or one of its branches was also found. Artifacts recovered from the temple include two wooden playing pieces from the ancient game of Senet, Nuzzolo added. To read more about Niuserre and other 5th Dynasty pharaohs, go to "In the Reign of the Sun Kings."

---

TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: 5thdynasty; abusir; egypt; epigraphyandlanguage; godsgravesglyphs; hieroglyphs; niuserre; oldkingdom; senet

[SunkenCiv]

Entrance to the Sun Temple of Niuserre, Abusir, Egypt

Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

[SunkenCiv]

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

One of these days I will learn how to play senet.

And then I will teach someone else to play so we can play together.

And then we will teach two more people so we can have matches.

And then we shall teach more and more and we will have leagues and playoffs and cheerleaders and Big Trophy in the shape of a Cat and when Thanksgiving comes around we will no longer be forced to play euchre or rook because senet shall rule all! Hahahaha!

(I think I may have had a bit too much of this elderberry mead. Good stuff though)

[PIF]

OT

2 things:
Elon Musk has confirmed that Space X has acquired Xai;

Artemis fueling test has been scrubbed over minor leak in a hydrogen line at T-5min. Expect March launch.

[PIF]

Watched part of a episode of Natgeo’s “Lost Treasures of Egypt” about this very find last night.

[BipolarBob]

The original Sunday worshippers. I violation of God’s Fourth Commandment.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks, I was watching the live feed (which is usually a whole lot of nothing going on, with a couple of commentators) by chance right at the time they were noting the pressure fluctuations. This is a Shuttle-derived system (main engines liquid H with liquid O for an oxydizer, but needing SRBs to get it off the ground), and while that system was in use for decades, turnaround time was always pretty bad, and expensive.

[SunkenCiv]

I wonder if the Egyptians played senet in the house? /rimshot

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

:groan:

[SunkenCiv]

They never seemed to get board with it.

[SunkenCiv]

Ooh, nice playlist, not sure this is the same though:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLivjPDlt6ApSOhb8t9h3hlkyY5lyI07Zn

here’s the page from the NG website:
https://www.natgeotv.com/za/shows/natgeo/lost-treasures-of-egypt

[PIF]

Yeah that’s the Show - but I have no idea of the official title of the one I watched.

[PIF]

OT

https://www.spacex.com/updates

Talks about the merger and what it means

[Cronos]

Bipolarbob “The original Sunday worshippers. I violation of God’s Fourth Commandment”

Bipolarbob, Old Kingdom Egypt did not use a 7-day week. Instead, they employed a 10-day week, known as a decade or “decans,” with three such weeks making up a 30-day month.

The workweek was typically nine days long, followed by a day of rest.

https://nilescribes.org/2017/12/20/the-ancient-egyptian-calendar/

https://www.thoughtco.com/ancient-egypt-birthplace-of-modern-calendar-43706

Days were not named Monday–Sunday. Instead, they were often referred to by their number within the month or aligned with celestial events.

At the end of the 360-day year (12 months \(\times \) 30 days), five extra days were added to align with the solar year, celebrated as the birthdays of specific gods: Osiris, Horus, Seth, Isis, and Nephthys.

Bipolarbob, do note.

[BipolarBob]

Thank you Cronos. I’m less interested in what Old Egypt believed and worshipped than what God ordained, blessed and COMMANDED.