Egypt announces new archaeological discovery in Sharqiya
Excavations at the Tell El-Faraoon site revealed residential structures believed to date to the early or mid-4th century BC. Among them were "tower houses" -- multi-story dwellings characterized by thick foundational walls, likely constructed to accommodate large populations, according to Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Mohamed Ismail Khaled.
He noted that such houses were common across the Nile Delta from Egypt's Late Period through the Roman era. Additional structures uncovered at the site include buildings used for practical purposes, such as grain storage and animal shelters.
In the temple area, archaeologists uncovered a large limestone floor and the remains of two massive mudbrick columns, which were likely once coated in plaster. These elements are thought to be part of a structure built along the processional route that once connected a Late Period pylon to the temple of Wadjet. Evidence suggests the processional way was abandoned by the mid-Ptolemaic period.
The temple of Wadjet was rebuilt during the reign of King Ramses II and again under King Ahmose II.
The discovery was made by a British archaeological mission from the University of Manchester.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
8 hours ago
- The Star
South Africa starts radioactive isotopes injection to fight rhino poaching
CAPE TOWN, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- South African researchers have started injecting small amounts of detectable radioactive isotopes into rhino horns to deter poachers and traffickers, according to a statement released Friday by the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University). The Rhisotope Project, launched on Thursday, is expected to become fully operational by August in a bid to curb the high levels of illegal rhino poaching in the country. According to the statement, the project aims to disrupt the illegal rhino horn trade by embedding low-level radioactive isotopes into the horns, while these isotopes can be detected by radiation scanners at border posts and customs checkpoints worldwide. Leading the project are researchers from Wits University in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Last year, about 20 rhinos at a sanctuary were injected with isotopes during early trials that led to the Thursday launch, with tests showing that the procedure poses no harm to the rhinos. "We have demonstrated, beyond scientific doubt, that the process is completely safe for the animal and effective in making the horn detectable through international customs nuclear security systems," said Wits University Professor James Larkin, who is also the chief scientific officer of the Rhisotope Project. The tests also confirmed that individual horns can be detected even inside full 40-foot shipping containers. "Even a single horn with significantly lower levels of radioactivity than what will be used in practice successfully triggered alarms in radiation detectors," said Larkin. South Africa is home to the largest rhino population in the world, with around 16,000 rhinos. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the white rhino is classified as "near threatened," and the black rhino is listed as "critically endangered." In March, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Dion George reported that between January and February 2024, 420 rhinos were poached in South Africa, with 320 being killed on state-owned properties and 100 on privately owned parks, reserves, or farms. "Our goal is to deploy the Rhisotope technology at scale to help protect one of Africa's most iconic and threatened species. By doing so, we safeguard not just rhinos but a vital part of our natural heritage," said Rhisotope Project Chief Executive Officer Jessica Babich.
The Star
18 hours ago
- The Star
Ancient ‘lamp shells' practised social distancing, fossil find in China reveals
Ancient 'lamp shells' – bottom-dwelling invertebrates that once ruled the oceans – may have used hundreds of bristle-like structures to 'social distance' in a bid to improve their chances of survival, Chinese palaeontologists have discovered. Their findings are based on a fossilised species of brachiopods – or clam-like marine animals – that was discovered in China's southwestern Guizhou province. The fossils, discovered embedded in rocks, were found to be arranged in a 'checkerboard-like' pattern across what was once the sea floor. Individuals of the extinct species Nucleospira calypta were likely to have used the flexible bristle-like structures – thinner than human hair – to help guide their movement and arrange their population to provide adequate space for filter feeding. 'We report exceptionally preserved soft, bristle-like structures ('setae') on 436-million-year-old brachiopods, enabling analysis of ancient behaviour,' the team said in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on July 21. Using advanced imaging and spatial analysis, the researchers determined that Nucleospira calypta formed a 'highly regular' pattern of spacing that corresponded to about 1.5 to 2 times the length of their setae. 'Our findings point to a previously unrecognised mechanism shaping ecosystem structure in deep time,' said the researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' (CAS) Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology. 'This is the first time we've directly connected a specific anatomical feature – these tiny setae – to a statistically significant spatial pattern in fossils,' study authors Huang Bing and Rong Jiayu told CAS. Brachiopods were the most diverse and common marine organisms during the Palaeozoic era (541 to 251 million years ago), according to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. There are 30,000 known brachiopod species based on fossil records, but fewer than 400 are alive today, and they are found in very cold waters in the polar regions or the deep sea. Also called lamp shells due to their resemblance to ancient Roman oil lamps, some species of brachiopods have setae, which grow from the edges of the mantle – a vital tissue layer also found in molluscs. 'Brachiopod setae, hypothesised to function in feeding or defence, are exceedingly rare in the fossil record,' the team said. 'For filter-feeding brachiopods reliant on suspended plankton, dense aggregations could disrupt essential feeding currents, analogous to spacing optimising light capture in plants'. The 'exceptionally well-preserved' fossils analysed by the researchers belong to the early Silurian period, around 444 to 419 million years ago. Adults of the Nucleospira calypta species found in the Hanchiatien geological formation in Guizhou had about 200 to 250 setae in total. The length of each typically ranged from 3mm to 8mm (0.12 to 0.3 inch), with a diameter less than a third that of a single human hair. The team determined that the setae were so well preserved because they were first rapidly mineralised by pyrite in oxygen-free waters, and then coated in calcite when ocean conditions became less acidic. This double coating of minerals shielded the delicate bristles from decay and being crushed. Spatial analysis revealed that the fossilised brachiopods were not randomly scattered, but rather had a 'statistically significant, nonrandom, checkerboard-like distribution' across the rock. 'Such a pattern is characteristic of territorial behaviour or resource competition,' the researchers said. 'Strikingly, the measured average inter-individual spacing quantitatively relates to the length of the preserved setae'. The Nucleospira calypta species lacked a pedicle, a stalk-like structure that can help marine animals anchor to the sea floor. They also had a smooth and flat circular shell, which the researchers said possibly allowed them to slide on the ocean floor millimetre by millimetre. When individuals would get too close, their setae would touch, which was likely to have prompted them to make gradual adjustments to their positioning, according to CAS. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
Borneo Post
2 days ago
- Borneo Post
Xizang ramps up plateau ecosystem preservation
Photo taken on Feb 1, 2024 shows Tibetan antelopes in the Tangbei area of Sanjiangyuan National Park in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region. – Xinhua photo LHASA (July 31): Yu Wenhao, project manager of an intelligent monitoring platform of the Tangbei area of Sanjiangyuan National Park, can still vividly recall the hurdles he faced while building a monitoring station right at the headwaters of the Yangtze River. Last October, Yu and his 20-member team trekked to the remote glaciers of Mount Geladaindong in the city of Nagqu, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, to erect a 15-meter-high monitoring tower at an altitude exceeding 5,300 meters. 'The journey was only about 120 km, however, it took us two days to reach the site. There were no roads!' Yu recalled. 'With approval from local authorities, we braved the freezing cold, following experienced local guides to minimise our impact on the fragile plateau ecosystem.' The monitoring station is one of the 14 across the vast region, scattered in the Tangbei (areas under the administration of Xizang north of the Tanggula Range) area of the Sanjiangyuan National Park, as well as the Serling Co and Changtang national nature reserves. Established in 2021 as part of China's first batch of national parks, the 190,700-square-km Sanjiangyuan National Park sits on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at an average elevation of over 4,700 meters. The Sanjiangyuan region, a typical representative of the alpine ecosystem, serves as an alpine biological germplasm bank, making it a crucial ecological security barrier in China. The Tangbei area spans 48,700 square km, accounting for roughly 25.54 per cent of the park's total area. Since 2023, Nagqu has been developing a high-tech monitoring platform integrating satellites, drones, and ground sensors for real-time ecological tracking, according to Wang Mingqing, Party Secretary of the forestry and grassland bureau of Nagqu City. So far, 14 stations, including the latest one that Yu's team established in October 2024, have enabled long-term, automated monitoring of wildlife, glaciers, rivers, wetlands, and ecological restoration efforts across Xizang. 'Nowadays, we continuously upgrade the platform with AI algorithms to improve wildlife identification accuracy,' Yu said. Beyond technology, Yu highlighted growing local conservation awareness. He was deeply moved by affluent young herders volunteering to assist construction in challenging conditions, reflecting a shared commitment to conservation. Today, over 6,000 former park residents serve as ecological rangers, transitioning from resource users to protectors. 'Thanks to advanced technology, local residents' engagement, as well as the intensive support from the country, wildlife populations in Tangbei are steadily rising,' Wang said. Members of a volunteer guardian team from Maqu Township in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region patrol the source of the Yangtze River on Feb 2, 2024. – Xinhua photo Namdrol, 48, a herder from Maqu Township, Nagqu, joined an environmental protection team of the headwaters of Yangtze River in 2016. Over the years, Namdrol and his team have voluntarily organised river cleanups, rescued trapped wildlife, and intervened to prevent environmentally harmful activities. 'We conduct five to six inspection tours every month, covering over 40 km each time. Given the extreme fragility of this ecosystem, where any damage could be irreversible, strengthening ecological protection is absolutely critical,' he said. Xizang has always prioritised eco-environmental conservation and attached great importance to the conservation of the ecology of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It prioritises eco-environmental conservation and green development, and strives to continuously improve eco-environmental governance and protect biodiversity on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Xizang has emerged as one of the regions with the healthiest ecosystems in the world. Official statistics show that Xizang has established 47 nature reserves of all kinds, covering 412,200 square km. The region has also rolled out an eco-compensation system to increase the income of farmers and herders and strengthen their awareness of conservation. From 2016 to 2024, an average of 516,000 jobs for eco-environmental protection were created annually, providing an annual per capita income of 3,500 yuan (about US$489.5). – Xinhua China ecosystem nature preservation Xinhua Xizang
