Egyptian-Chinese Archaeological Mission Uncovers Ancient 'Sacred Lake' in Luxor
In a significant archaeological breakthrough, a joint Egyptian-Chinese mission has announced the discovery of an ancient 'sacred lake' at the Montu Temple precinct within the renowned Karnak Temple Complex in Luxor, southern Egypt. The announcement was made on Saturday, highlighting a find that adds a new chapter to the understanding of ancient Egyptian religious practices and temple architecture.
Discovery Details and Historical Significance
The newly uncovered sacred lake, located within the Montu Temple enclosure west of the Maat Temple, is an ancient man-made water reservoir covering more than 50 square meters. It features a well-defined structure and is remarkably well-preserved, according to the mission archaeologists. Notably, this lake had not been recorded in early archaeological archives, making it a fresh addition to historical records.
Jia Xiaobing, the Chinese head of the project, termed the discovery the Southern Sacred Lake. He explained that it forms a unique layout with the previously known sacred lake of the Montu Temple, creating two sacred lakes aligned north and south within the Karnak enclosure walls. This discovery is the only sacred lake in Egyptian archaeology to have undergone systematic and scientific excavation, providing invaluable first-hand materials for research, particularly in studies of sacred lakes.
Role of Sacred Lakes in Ancient Egypt
Sacred lakes were an essential component of ancient Egyptian temple architecture, regarded as holy sources of water distinct from domestic supplies and reserved exclusively for ritual use within temples. Jia emphasized that this find sheds light on the religious and architectural practices of the time, offering insights into how these reservoirs were integrated into temple precincts for ceremonial purposes.
Challenges and Technological Advances
Hend Aly, a senior inspector at the Montu Temple and an Egyptian member of the project, described the discovery as something rare that crowned the hard work of the joint mission for eight years. She noted that the team successfully developed and applied an advanced technological methodology to carry out the excavation, transforming a big dump of sand and dust into the visible sacred lake. However, due to limitations from the groundwater level, the foundational construction of the lake has not been fully explored, and its initial construction date remains to be determined through further excavation and research.
Additional Archaeological Finds
Beyond the sacred lake, the mission made other notable discoveries. Archaeologists unearthed dozens of cow jaw remains and reused stone blocks associated with kings and the divine adoratrice from the Late Period (747-332 BC). In the Osirian chapel area, excavations uncovered three chapels dedicated to the god Osiris, along with dozens of Osiris statuettes of varying sizes and materials, and fragments linked to the divine adoratrice.
The Divine Adoratrice of Amun, also known as God’s Wife of Amun, was a priestess title in ancient Egypt held primarily by royal women, such as pharaohs’ daughters, who served as the symbolic wife and chief ritual attendant of the god Amun at Thebes. According to Jia, this discovery provides new archaeological evidence for reconstructing the history of Thebes under the rule of the divine adoratrice during the 25th and 26th Dynasties.
Site and Mission Background
The Montu Temple site is located in the northern part of Luxor, covering approximately 106,000 square meters, with about 24,000 square meters within the enclosure walls of the temple precinct. To date, the joint mission has excavated a total area of about 2,300 square meters. Since 2018, the first Egyptian-Chinese joint archaeological mission, formed by the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, has been officially conducting excavations and research at the Montu Temple. The project has also received support from the Zhengzhou Municipal Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology and the Institute of World History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
This discovery not only enhances our understanding of ancient Egyptian culture but also underscores the importance of international collaboration in archaeology, paving the way for future research and discoveries in the region.
