Egypt: Archaeologists claim to have discovered 4,500-year-old Sun Temple in Abu Gorab

One of Egypt's ancient sun temples dated from the mid-25th century BCE has been discovered, according to archaeologists. As per the reports of CNN, Massimiliano Nuzzolo, an assistant professor of Egyptology at the Polish Academy of Sciences' Institute for the Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures in Warsaw, stated that the remains were discovered buried beneath another temple at Abu Gorab, about 12 miles south of Cairo.

Archaeologists, in 1898 discovered the sun temple of Nyuserra, also known as Neuserre or Nyuserre, the sixth monarch of Egypt's 5th dynasty, who reigned from 2400 to 2370 BCE. The new discovery reveals that it was built on top of the ruins of another sun temple. According to CNN, Nyuserra stated that archaeologists of the nineteenth century excavated only a little portion of this mud-brick building beneath the temple of Nyuserra and decided that this was an earlier building phase of the same temple. According to him, their discoveries show that this was a completely separate structure, built before Nyuserra.

Nyuserra ritually destroyed it in order to construct his own sun temple

Nuzzolo also said that the mud-brick monument was "amazing in scale," but Nyuserra ritually destroyed it in order to construct his own sun temple. While these temples were dedicated to the cult of the sun god Ra, the king used the temple to legitimate his reign, presenting himself as the sun god's only son on Earth, according to CNN. He also said that the fundamental objective of the temple was to serve as a site for the deification of the living king.

The sun temples were all built near Abu Gorab. Nuzzolo stated that Nyuserra's sun temple has a layout that is quite similar to the mud-brick structure, although it is larger and made of stone. Egyptian kings are not known to have constructed temples out of mud bricks and then rebuilt them out of stone. Nuzzolo believes that it is possible that some of the remaining sun temples were also created using mud bricks and a few stone elements.

More excavations at the site will help the researchers

Nuzzolo said that more excavations at the site will help the researchers figure out which ruler was responsible for the temple's construction, according to CNN. He stated that studying the pottery will help them learn more about how people lived at the time, such as what they ate and what they believed.

Image: Facebook/@Massimiliano Nuzzolo