Clusters of ancient mudbrick buildings that were identified using satellite imagery have led to the rediscovery of Imet, once a thriving city in Egypt's Nile Delta.

Egyptologists from the University of Manchester were analyzing high-resolution images collected by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (known as Landsat) around the archaeological site of Tell Nabasha when they noticed architectural structures buried beneath a mound. This led to an on-the-ground excavation in the northeast Nile Delta alongside the University of Sadat City in Cairo. Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced the rediscovery of Imet on June 21.

Two excavated rectangular structures with stepped walls reveal ancient architectural remains beneath dusty Egyptian soil.

Ruins of Imet. Photo courtesy of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

What the team of archaeologists found is the blueprint of a populous and densely built settlement that was made up of multi-story dwellings, granaries, animal enclosures, and roads. Although still in its initial stages, the rediscovery is transforming the understanding of the urban, religious, and economic life that took place in Imet during Egypt's Late Period, 664 B.C.E. to 332 B.C.E., the final period of Egyptian rule before the arrival of Alexander the Great and subsequent rule under the Ptolemies.

A signature feature of Imet's urban makeup was the building of substantial tower houses, multi-level structures with thick walls that were designed to support a large population in the rapidly urbanizing Delta region. Think of them like ancient Egyptian apartment blocks. "These tower houses are mainly found in the Nile Delta between the Late Period and the Roman era and are rare elsewhere in Egypt," Nicky Nielsen, the University of Manchester Egyptologist who directed the excavations, said in a statement. "Their presence here shows that Imet was a thriving and densely-built city with a complex urban infrastructure."

a green looped instrument in a pit in the ground

A sistrum, a hand-held percussion instrument similar to a rattle, was found in Imet. Photo: courtesy University of Manchester.

Archaeologists also unearthed a large building with impressive pillars and a limestone plaster floor dating from the Ptolemaic period, 332 B.C.E. to 30 B.C.E. Its position on top of the ancient processional road to the temple of Wadjet, the patron goddess of Imet and the Nile Delta region more broadly, has led researchers to speculate that the building held spiritual importance. Wadjet, who was often depicted as a winged cobra or a woman with the head of a cobra, was believed to protect Lower Egypt and associated healing and rebirth.

The temple of Wadjet was a central landmark in Imet, one which was rebuilt during the reign of Ramses II, 1279 to 1213 B.C.E., and today stands on the west side of the site at Tell Nabasha. An excavation of the aforementioned building and section of the road has led archaeologists to believe the route had fallen out of use by the mid-Ptolemaic period, which they say offers an insight into the shifting religious landscapes in ancient Egypt.

the top of a greenish statue from ancient Egypt

A green faience figurine found in Imet. Photo: courtesy University of Manchester.

Additional finds from the excavation include a green faience ushabti, a small funerary ceramic figurine, dating from the 26th Dynasty, 664 B.C.E. to 525 B.C.E., a stele of the Harpocrates, the child of Horus considered the god of silence and secrets, and a metal instrument adorned with the heads of Hathor, the goddess of music and joy.

"This discovery opens new doors to our understanding of daily life, spirituality and urban planning in the Delta," Nielsen said. "Imet is emerging as a key site for rethinking the archaeology of Late Period Egypt."