Ancient Egyptian builders used sand layer to stabilise 2,600-year-old structure in Nile Delta
Researchers have uncovered a large mudbrick building from about 2,600 years ago beneath the Nile Delta, showing ancient engineers protected structures from shifting soil and groundwater.
Egyptian researchers have discovered a massive mudbrick structure from Egypt's 26th Dynasty, buried beneath layers of mud and waterlogged soil at the Tell El Fara'in site in the northwestern Nile Delta. The team used satellite radar data from the European Sentinel-1 satellite, along with remote sensing and underground electrical surveys, to identify an underground anomaly of roughly 128 by 62 metres beneath a mound at Buto. The building lies between three and six metres below the surface.
Excavations confirmed thick mudbrick walls and turned up artefacts including ushabti figurines, a limestone altar with carved channels and traces consistent with animal blood, and a small glazed ceramic baboon figurine linked to Thoth, the god of wisdom. The purpose of the building is still unclear; researchers have suggested it could have been a tomb, a residence for priests or a place for religious rites.
At a depth of six to seven metres, the team found a thick layer of clean sand beneath the foundations. Researchers believe it was placed deliberately to spread the building's weight, drain groundwater and limit soil movement in the clay-rich Delta, and to keep moisture from weakening the bricks. The findings were published in the journal Acta Geophysica.