Ancient Egyptian housing complex and possible wine press found at Temple of Sekhmet

A joint Egyptian-Chinese archaeological mission has uncovered the remains of a mud-brick housing complex and a stone structure likely used for wine production at the Temple of Sekhmet in Mit Rahina, Egypt.

The finds offer new evidence about daily life and settlement in the area around the ancient temple. The excavation also produced stone blocks, statue fragments, pottery, faience amulets, small terracotta and limestone figures, ostraca, votive plaques and other artifacts.

The Egyptian-Chinese team works under Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Shanghai Museum. Researchers first cleaned and recorded the Temple of Sekhmet before excavating areas around the structure.

The housing complex lies near the temple and was built from mud bricks. Several stone blocks and statue fragments were also found nearby. Some pieces likely came from the Great Temple of Ptah, the main temple of ancient Memphis. The Temple of Sekhmet formed part of this larger temple complex.

East of the Temple of Sekhmet, the team found a limestone structure thought to have served as a wine press. The structure has an upper basin with a slope leading south toward a central opening.

A lower basin sits beneath the upper section. Each basin also has an opening designed to hold amphorae used to collect the liquid. Grape seeds found inside the structure support the idea that people used the installation to process grapes for wine.

Other finds help date activity around the temple across several periods. Many stone blocks and statue pieces date to the New Kingdom, especially the reign of Ramesses II. Researchers identified limestone, red granite and schist among the stone types.

The excavation also produced pottery remains, faience amulets, small figures made from terracotta and limestone, ostraca and votive plaques.

The range of finds points to long-term settlement in the area. Human activity continued from the Third Intermediate Period and Late Period through the Ptolemaic and Greco-Roman periods.

Life around the Temple of Sekhmet continued even after the temple lost much of its role as a major religious center. The area later served as a residential neighborhood within ancient Memphis.

The mission will continue its work during future excavation seasons. Egyptian and Chinese researchers plan to document the temple’s architecture and investigate the surrounding area.

The team is led by Reham Zaki, scientific affairs supervisor at the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and Chen Jie, deputy director of the Shanghai Museum.

The Temple of Sekhmet was found by chance in 1959 during construction work for a house. The discovery led Egyptian archaeologist Mohamed Abdel Tawab El-Hetta to excavate the site during the 1961 to 1962 season.

Archaeologists later documented visible remains at the site in 2015 through the Management of the Ancient Memphis Site and Community project. The current Egyptian-Chinese mission represents the first excavation work at the temple and its surroundings since 1962.

The team also hopes to build a fuller picture of the site’s residents and changing use over time.

More information: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities