A town approximately 3,500 years old was discovered in Kom el-Negus, Egypt, located about 27 miles west of Alexandria.

Recent discoveries have challenged the prior assumption that the area was exclusively inhabited during the Hellenistic period. The research team, headed by Sylvain Dhennin, has uncovered evidence indicating that the settlement was occupied during multiple epochs, dating back to the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt. This land, situated between the Mediterranean Sea and Lake Mariout, is distinguished by its distinctive horseshoe-shaped terrain called a Kom.

The Kom el-Negus Settlement near Alexandria, Egypt

The study published by Cambridge University Press reveals that despite the initial findings from 2013, which suggested the land was settled during the Hellenistic period, evidence now indicates that people had been living in the area for a much longer period.

“Although the site was supposedly founded in the Hellenistic period (332–31 BC), excavations at Kom el-Nugus/Plinthine have revealed a large town from the seventh century BC,” the researchers said in the paper.

The primary discovery was the identification of a New Kingdom settlement. A notable find included a jar cover inscribed with the name Meritaten, the daughter of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, suggesting the town was established during the 18th dynasty (1550–1292 BC). It is believed to have been centered on agricultural activities, with indications of wine production present.

“The recent discovery of a major New Kingdom (c. 1550–1069 BC) settlement at the site is contributing to the re-evaluation of the ancient history of northern Egypt,” wrote the researchers.

The archaeologists uncovered evidence indicating that the settlement underwent multiple reconstructions and remodels over time as various groups inhabited the area. Among the structures discovered were drainage systems designed to safeguard the foundation walls, as well as several buildings that likely served diverse purposes, including a centrally located temple .

The temple was built during the Hellenistic period when Kom el-Negus significantly transformed. Only its footprint currently remains in the bedrock. The team found that the Hellenistic settlers destroyed or repurposed what was there before from the New Kingdom settlement and earlier eras, although some of the components from the older structures remained intact.

“Several reused elements are the only remaining traces of New Kingdom stone monuments: a fragment of a stele with the cartouches of Seti II; several blocks from a temple dedicated by Ramses II; and fragments of private chapels from the Ramesside period (1292–1069 BC),” the researchers wrote in the study.