Ancient Egyptian fortress uncovers soldiers’ homes, royal inscriptions, and horse burial

Excavations at the Tell el-Abqain fortress in Beheira Governorate have uncovered New Kingdom soldiers' homes, food stores, royal inscriptions, and a complete horse burial. The finds, announced by Egypt's Tourism and Antiquities Ministry, confirm the site's strategic role in protecting against Libyan tribal attacks. Among the discoveries are scarabs bearing the names of Ramesses II and Seti I, religious amulets, and a limestone stele fragment referencing Pharaoh Merneptah.

Excavations at Tell el-Abqain, an ancient Egyptian fortress in the Beheira Governorate, have uncovered New Kingdom soldiers' homes, food stores, royal inscriptions, and a complete horse burial. Announced last week by Egypt's Tourism and Antiquities Ministry, the finds confirm the site's strategic importance in protecting against Libyan tribal attacks during the New Kingdom period. In the northern sector of a large mudbrick residential complex, archaeologists found a four-meter wide main road running east to west, intersected by another street running south to north. Several rooms contained silos for storing grain and cylindrical pottery ovens. A collection of rooms was uncovered near the southeastern corner of the fortress, where three stone wells bearing the titles of King Ramesses II had previously been found. One of the most notable finds was the complete burial of a young male horse, likely used for training, military activities, or pulling war chariots. Numerous royal inscriptions were found, including a fragment of a limestone stele bearing a hieratic inscription for the 19th Dynasty pharaoh Merneptah, and a stele with the birth name, coronation name, and Horus name of King Ramesses II. Scarabs bearing the names of Ramesses II and Seti I, as well as deities including Amun, Sekhmet, Ptah, and Set, were also found. The discoveries reflect the role of religion in the lives of soldiers and residents.