Archaeologists discover 4000-year-old model garden outside Egypt tomb

A group of archaeologists discovered the remains of a nearly 4000 year old model garden outside a tomb in the ancient Egyptian capital of Thebes, today known as Luxor.

The discovery was announced by Egypt’s Antiquities Ministry said on 3 May 2017.

The discovery was made by a Spanish team in the Draa Abul Nagaa necropolis across the Nile from the modern-day city of Luxor. The Draa Abul Naga necropolis lies near the Valley of the Kings, where many of the pharaohs, including Tutankhamun, were buried.

Key highlights

• The garden was discovered during excavations in an open courtyard outside a Middle Kingdom tomb.

• It is a small rectangular garden that has an area of three by two meters.

• It is divided into equal square plots, each about 30 centimetres across.

• The plots seem to have each included various species of plants and flowers.

• Two elevated spots were found in the middle of the garden, which were probably used for planting trees.

• The root and the trunk of a 4000-year-old small tree, 30 centimetres tall, were found at one of the garden’s corners. In addition, a bowl containing dates and other fruits, which could have been presented as an offering, was also found.

• A small mud-brick temple attached to the tomb containing three stone slabs was also discovered.

Ancient city of Thebes

• Thebes was an ancient Egyptian city.

• It was located east of the Nile about 800 kilometers south of the Mediterranean.

• Its ruins lie within the modern Egyptian city of Luxor.

• Thebes was the main city of the fourth Upper Egyptian nome (Sceptre nome).

• The city served as the capital of Egypt during the New Kingdom.