Jars of 5,000-Year-Old Wine Discovered in Egypt
15:32 02.10.2023 (Updated: 15:33 02.10.2023)
© Photo Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesArchaeologists have discovered 5,000-year-old wine vessels in central Egypt
© Photo Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
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The archaeological excavations were conducted near the tomb of Queen Merneith of the First Dynasty. This dynasty included the first series of Egyptian kings and queens who ruled over a unified Egypt since the Bronze Age. Sholars have suggested that there is a possibility that Merneith was the first queen in Ancient Egypt.
Archaeologists have discovered jugs of wine that are five thousand years old during excavations in the central part of Egypt, reported the country's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
The excavations were conducted by an international team of archaeologists from Egypt, Germany and Austria. The group found hundreds of large jars, some of which contained the remains of 5,000-year-old wine.
Archaeologists have been studying the site, which is located near the tomb of First Dynasty Queen Merneith in the necropolis of Umm el-Qa'ab, Sohag province. Scholars have speculated that she may have been the first female queen in Ancient Egypt.
© Photo Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesArchaeologists have discovered 5,000-year-old wine vessels in central Egypt
Archaeologists have discovered 5,000-year-old wine vessels in central Egypt
© Photo Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
Umm el-Qa'ab was the royal cemetery during the 1st dynasty and for the last two kings of the 2nd dynasty. It was also used as a burial ground for the elite who ruled the area around Abydos, one of the oldest cities in Egypt.
The complex, built of adobe bricks, clay and wood, includes the tomb of the queen and 41 other servants. Archaeologists have determined that the tombs were built in stages over a long period of time.
© Photo Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and AntiquitiesArchaeologists have discovered 5,000-year-old wine vessels in central Egypt
Archaeologists have discovered 5,000-year-old wine vessels in central Egypt
© Photo Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
In April 2021, a lost "Golden City" was discovered in Upper Egypt, said to have been founded more than 3,500 years ago and then abandoned and covered with sand.
Scientists have suggested that the city was founded during the reign of Pharaoh Amenhotep III – who ruled Ancient Egypt in the 14th century BC – and was the largest administrative center in the region at the time.