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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Buried ancient Egyptian city revealed by radar imaging

The 3,500-year-old capital of Egypt's foreign occupiers has been revealed by archaeologists using radar imaging.

The 3,500-year-old capital of Egypt's foreign occupiers has been revealed by archaeologists using radar imaging.
Satellite image with radar imaging offering an overview of the outlines of a city with streets, buildings and temples underneath the green farm fields and modern town of Tel al-Dabaa, Northeast of Cairo, Egypt Photo: EPA

Egypt was ruled for a century from 1664-1569 BC by the Hyksos, a warrior people from Asia, possibly Semitic in origin, whose summer capital was in the northern Delta area.

Irene Mueller, the head of the Austrian archaeological team, said the main purpose of the project was to determine how far the underground city extended.

The radar imaging showed the outlines of streets, houses and temples underneath the green farm fields and modern town of Tel al-Dabaa.

Such non-invasive techniques are the best way define the extent of the site, the team said in a statement. Egypt's Delta is densely populated and heavily farmed, making extensive excavation difficult, unlike in southern Egypt with its more famous desert tombs and temples.

The Austrian team of archaelogists has been working on the site since 1975.

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