Egyptian archaeologists working at a site called Tell El-Koua in the Ismailia Governorate have uncovered an ancient settlement dating to the Second Intermediate Period (between 1782 and 1550 BC), according to a press release issued by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (وزارة السياحة والآثار) on 29 June 2026. At this time the northern part of Egypt, as far south as Cusae, was ruled by a Semitic People called the Hyksos, recorded as the Fifteenth Dynasty, while the southern part of the country was ruled by two successive Egyptian dynasties, the Sixteenth and Seventeenth. This was the first time that a substantial part of Egypt was ruled by a foreign group, and Egyptian chroniclers had a low opinion of them, yet they introduced a number of innovations to Egyptian culture, including Horses, chariots, a sickle-shaped sword called the khopesh, and the compound bow, all of which contributed to the military success of the Eighteenth Dynasty, who reunited Egypt and formed the New Kingdom, which built an expanded Empire including much of the Middle East and Sudan.
The site uncovered includes a residential area, a group of tombs, and several kilns and grain silos. The site is clearly divided into residential areas, working areas, and burial grounds. The residential area covers an area of about 30 m by 60 m and is surrounded by a mud brick wall about 1.5 m thick, and is internally divided into rooms and corridors of various sizes, with ovens and grain silos located on its eastern side.
The area interpreted as a residential block at the Tell El-Koua site. Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
The site included ten mud brick tombs, some of which were in the typical 'mustaba' style, while others had a variety of architectural facades and decorative elements. These tombs varied in size and orientation, and some of the individuals within them were buried in a crouched position, rather than laid out flat in typical Egyptian style. Several individuals had also been buried outside of tombs. All of the Human remains found are estimated to have come from individuals aged between 25 and 40. The mixture of burial styles suggests a people who had adopted some Egyptian customs, but to varying degrees and with an admixture of their own traditions.
An individual buried in a crouched position in a tomb at Tell El-Koua. Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
A number of artefacts were found at the site, including scarabs, bronze tools, pottery vessels, alabaster kohl containers, and a number of Tell el-Yahudiyeh ware flasks, which are considered typical of the Hyksos Period in Lower Egypt, but have also been found at sites across the Middle East, particularly those associated with the Canaanite People and on the island of Cyprus. A large number of Animal bones were also discovered, which appear to relate to both meat consumption and funerary rights.
A Tell el-Yahudiyeh ware flask from the Tell El-Koua site. Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
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