Posted on 03/20/2021 6:23:09 PM PDT by marshmallow
Active between the fourth and eighth centuries A.D., the vast site housed multiple churches, monastic cells and other structures
Excavations in Egypt’s Western Desert have unearthed the ruins of an early Christian monastic site, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP). Highlights of the discovery include three churches and a set of monks’ cells, or living quarters.
Per a statement from Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, a joint French-Norwegian team found the basalt and mudbrick structures at Tel Ganub Qasr Al-‘Aguz in the Bahariya Oasis, some 230 miles southwest of Cairo. Some of the buildings were carved directly into the bedrock.
Ancient Egyptians occupied the site between the fourth and eighth centuries A.D., notes AFP. Activity likely peaked during the fifth and sixth centuries.
The dig marks the third round of excavations at Tel Ganub Qasr Al-‘Aguz. Split into six sectors, each of which contains multiple rooms, the archaeological site is located in a “somewhat isolated” area, according to Nevine El-Aref of Ahram Online. This remote location, coupled with the Coptic Christian symbols and scribbles seen on several walls, supports the scholars’ theory that the complex housed an early monastic community.
Work in sector six—the last section to be excavated—took place during the 2020 season, reports Ahram Online. It features 19 rooms, including a living area, a vestibule and a pair of rock-cut chambers connected to a church. The walls of these last two rooms are covered in lines of yellow text, some of which appear to be biblical verses written in Greek. The inscriptions may help elucidate what monastic life in the region looked like at the time, writes Mohammed Abu Zaid for Arab News.
In the statement, lead researcher Victor Gica says that the finds represent a key step in understanding the formation of.......
(Excerpt) Read more at smithsonianmag.com ...
I wish they would leave you old haunts alone. They are at it again.
Evidence of Christian communities - destroyed and ‘rehabilitated’ by the ‘religion of peace.’
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
