The Sun Temple of Niuserre at Abu Gurob. Photo / Kairo Info, Flickr
The Sun Temple of Niuserre at Abu Gurob. Photo / Kairo Info, Flickr
An ancient sun temple dating back 4,500 years has been unearthed by archaeologists in the Egyptian desert.
The remains were discovered under another temple at Abu Gurob, 20 kilometres south of Cairo.
Mission co-director Massimiliano Nuzzolo told CNN they appeared to be from the mid-25th century BCE.
Nuzzolo who works as an assistant professor of Egyptology at the Polish Academy of Sciences' Institute for the Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures in Warsaw, said it had been partially uncovered in 1898 before but mistakenly identified as part of an existing temple.
"The archaeologists of the 19th century excavated only a very small part of this mud bricks building below the stone temple of Nyuserra and concluded that this was a previous building phase of the same temple," Nuzzolo wrote in an email.
"Now our finds demonstrate that this was a completely different building, erected before Nyuserra," he said.
The dig reveals that underneath the sun temple of Nyuserra, the sixth king of the 5th dynasty in Egypt was another sun temple.
Nuzzolo and his team discovered seals engraved with the names of kings who ruled prior to Nyuserra as well as the foundations for limestone columns and threshold.
Dozens of preserved beer jars were also found, filled with a type of mud used during religious rituals.
The temple was "impressive in size," according to Nuzzolo but due to being built out of mud bricks rather than the typical stone, it was easily destroyed when a new king wished to build his own temple on top.
During this era, temples were dedicated to the sun god Ra and kings who reigned were seen as his only living sons on earth.
Co-director Massimiliano Nuzzolo and team from the Abu Gurob dig. Photo / Charles University, Czech Republic
Meanwhile, pyramids were built as a place to bury pharaohs to ensure they became gods in the afterlife.
"Indirectly, therefore, the main purpose of the temple was that of being the place for the deification of the living king," said Nuzzolo.
The temple is one of six in Abu Gurob according to historical sources but Nuzzolo said only two had been discovered.
Since this recent find was made out of mud brick, it's possible the remaining temples were also made from this perishable material and could be difficult to find.
Nuzzolo said further excavation at the site will hopefully reveal which king was responsible for the temple.
The key, according to Nuzzolo, lies in the pottery, which can indicate how people lived, what they ate and their beliefs.
The dig was conducted together by the Polish Academy of Sciences and the University of Naples L'Orientale.
