What is truly sensational about the "golden city" discovered near Luxor, in Egypt, are the traces of everyday life. The ovens for bread and bricks, the remains of productive activities and the houses. At least as interesting as the gigantic pyramids, the painted tombs and the celebrated mummies. Perhaps it is for this reason — for the sensation of travelling back in time and truly touching the past with one's own hands — that Egyptian sources have described this urban settlement from 3,000 years ago as the second most important archaeological discovery for Egypt after the tomb of Tutankhamun. The announcement by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities came on 8 April and travelled around the world within hours. The excavations lasted seven months, between 2020 and 2021, and were led by the renowned archaeologist Zahi Hawass, today Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities.

But what does this discovery truly mean, for Egyptians and for all of us who are passionate about the people of the pharaohs? What do we know? Why have they called it the "golden city"? To get a clearer picture, we could only turn to two genuine experts in ancient Egypt: archaeologist and curator at the Museo Schneiberg in Turin Generoso Urciuoli, and Egyptologist Marta Berogno. Here is what they told LifeGate.

What does the discovery consist of?
Generoso Urciuoli (GU): For once, what has been discovered is a city. We still know very few of them: Deir el-Medina, for example, or the workers' village on the Giza plain. What we know about ancient Egypt is often filtered through the funerary sphere, as if the ancient Egyptians were obsessed with death. A settlement of this kind provides a picture of the daily life of people who lived in the New Kingdom and in particular under the reign of Amenhotep III.
Marta Berogno (MB): The information this city gives us is enormous. We know it was an administrative centre and a place of production, and that part of it was residential. And it is important for understanding how people worked, what they did. For example, a large bakery was discovered, along with a district connected to food production. From this area also comes the container holding the remains of dried meat, cooked for a ceremony dedicated to Amenhotep. The name of the slaughterhouse and the butcher can also be read on the container. And then a great deal of pottery was found, as well as an area where bricks, amulets, manufactured goods and objects for spinning were produced…

GU: Unlike Deir el-Medina, which was inhabited for nearly 500 years, in this case we do not know how long the site was in use, and it will be fascinating to find out! It is also possible that it was built solely for the preparation of the temples and for Amenhotep's great jubilee, and therefore for a limited period. But even if that were the case, this would give us another interesting insight into the Egyptians. We tend to imagine them as static, always identical to themselves from the Old Kingdom to the arrival of Alexander the Great. This city could instead shed light on their dynamism.

The discoveries are promising, but there is no mention of any treasure. Why, then, have they called it the "lost golden city"?
MB: One of the epithets of Amenhotep III is the dazzling Aten, and so this settlement has been described as the settlement of the Dazzling Aten. It may be that the term "golden" is in some way a reference to "something that shines", something gilded. But in reality we do not know why it has been called the "golden city".

Is it true that it was already known that a city existed there, and that this is not an entirely new discovery?
GU: The correct answer is yes and no. The excavations of 1930, published in 1936 and 1939, were about 100–200 metres from where Hawass dug. And they brought some materials to light. That it was an extremely rich area was already known.
MB: In reality, the earlier excavations simply concerned a different sector. There is still so much to excavate, and it is possible that the first area investigated forms an extension of what has been found so far. They are not the same excavation zones, but it could be the same context! What irritated many people was Hawass's claim to have found the city by chance while searching for Tutankhamun's funerary temple. The city, in fact, was already known, but a different sector had been investigated.
GU: It may not be as remarkable as the tomb of Tutankhamun, but let us bear in mind that the approach to archaeological discoveries has changed profoundly compared to the past. The search is for everyday life, for production; people want to understand how things came about. Gold, or the extraordinary find, still attracts interest, but everyday life has also become an important element.

What do you think of the sensationalism that so often accompanies these discoveries? And of the parallel with Pompeii?
GU: Let us remember that Zahi Hawass, who is Egypt's global ambassador for tourism and oversees excavation activities, did not use this term. It was used by the media — especially Italian, but also Israeli and in some cases American.
MB: Perhaps the parallel arose because here too we are talking about remains of daily life, but the contexts are obviously completely different and indeed each one should have its own dignity. Egypt's objective is in any case to promote tourism. That is also why they are publicising one discovery after another. This is a way of breathing new life into the country. A touch of fascination serves a purpose.

What is the hope of Egyptologists regarding the site?
GU: The hope is that excavation reports and scientific articles are published immediately, and that other scholars have the opportunity to continue deepening the discussion.
MB: And obviously, we hope that research at this site will continue and that it can be turned into a museum, becoming one of the must-visit destinations in Egypt. The hope is that tourists can return to that area soon. It would be a perfect combination.