Archeologists had a lot to celebrate last month. On April 8th, it was announced that an entire 3,000 year-old metropolis, which has been nicknamed "The Lost Golden City," was unearthed in Luxor, a southern province of Egypt. This has become the greatest discovery for Egyptologists since King Tut's tomb (aka Pharaoh Tutankhamun) was found nearly 100 years ago on the West Bank of the Nile River, in the Valley of the Kings. 

Luxor is a city in southern Egypt and is also the capital of the Luxor Governorate. It is thought to be one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. What makes this find so unique is that this is the largest ancient city that has ever been found on a dig. 

Lead archaeologist Zahi Hawass said in a press release that the city, named The Rise of Aten, dated back to King Amenhotep III, who ruled Egypt between 1391 and 1353 BCE. Hawass stated, "It was the largest administrative and industrial settlement in the era of the Egyptian empire." It was well preserved beneath the sand.

Team archeologists uncovered rows of houses with their walls amazingly intact. Rooms still held the markings of daily life. Painted pottery vessels, casting molds for amulets, cooking pots, tools for weaving, spinning, metal and glass-making were gathered up for analysis. A huge bakery was unearthed as well with multiple ovens and storage vessels. This would imply that a large number of residents lived there.

If this was not enough, a skeleton was found buried with its arms stretched out and rope tied around its knees. The placement of the skeleton was unusual, so investigators are looking into exactly what happened to the deceased. It was called "a remarkable burial."

So, why is this important?  The dig team found an inscription on an artifact dated at 1337 BCE. That would confirm the city existed during the reign of Akhenaten, Amenhotep III's son. Historians learned that Akhenaten and his wife Queen Nefertiti moved 250 miles to the north, to the city of Amarna. But they have never known why.

Betsy Bryan, Professor of Egyptology at Johns Hopkins University, said that the discoveries could help us explain why the relocation occurred during one of Egypt's wealthiest periods. 

Other tombs and a large cemetery were also found in The Lost Golden City but have not yet been analyzed. Archeologists still have the entire northern part of Aten to dig up. The work began in September of 2020.

Studying ancient cultures is extremely important; it validates the past, and helps us learn about humanity and survival with scientific and artistic achievements. The ancient Egyptians were highly advanced in technology and art. Just looking at pyramids and Sphinxes is awe-inspiring. But the ancients also displayed inhumane practices like slavery and applied a caste system. 

Even after thousands of years, atrocities are still part of the tapestry of human nature. Why don't we learn from past mistakes?