Byzantine Empire

For 1,600 years, a once-thriving frontier settlement lay buried beneath Egypt's western desert. Once governed by Byzantine officials, the city was covered by drifting sand that covered the streets and markets. Now, archaeologists have uncovered fourth-century workshops, a basilica-style church in the Dakhla Oasis, and well-preserved stone homes. Scattered coins and pottery fragments tell a story of everyday life during the Byzantine Empire’s struggles to maintain power in Egypt. A Byzantine Settlement Emerges from the Sand Mahmoud Massoud, Director General of Dakhla Antiquities and head of the excavation mission, expressed surprise at the “rich assemblage of artifacts and the components of a fully functioning community.” Discovered in Egypt's New Valley Governorate in the Western Desert during ongoing excavations at the