An Egyptian-Chinese archaeological mission has uncovered an ancient residential complex and a stone installation that may have been used for pressing grapes near the Temple of Sekhmet at Mit Rahina, the site of ancient Memphis. The discoveries were made during excavations and documentation work conducted by Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Shanghai Museum.
The mission initially focused on cleaning and recording the Temple of Sekhmet, which formed part of the larger complex of the Great Temple of Ptah. Excavations were then expanded into the surrounding area to investigate how the site developed and was used over different periods.
East of the temple, archaeologists found a stone installation consisting of an upper basin that slopes toward a central opening and a lower basin apparently intended to collect or store liquid. Openings around the structure may have helped secure amphorae or other vessels. Grape seeds discovered inside the installation support the interpretation that it was connected with winemaking, although its precise function remains tentative.
The excavation also produced stone architectural elements, statue fragments, pottery, small terracotta and stone figurines, ostraca and other archaeological material. Some of the stone blocks and statue fragments date to Egypt’s New Kingdom, particularly the reign of Ramesses II, and include objects made from granite. Some pieces are thought to have originally belonged to the Great Temple of Ptah.
According to HeritageDaily Archaeology, Mohamed Abdel Badie of the Supreme Council of Antiquities said the discoveries indicate continued occupation of the area from the Third Intermediate Period and Late Period through the Ptolemaic and Roman eras. The evidence suggests that parts of the zone were later adapted for residential use after the temple’s role as a major religious centre had declined.
The residential remains and possible wine-production installation may provide information about daily life and economic activity during the area’s later phases. The mission is led by Reham Zaki of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and Chen Jie of the Shanghai Museum. Egyptian and Chinese specialists are expected to continue excavating and documenting the temple and its surroundings in future seasons.
The Temple of Sekhmet was discovered in 1959 during construction work on a house. Excavations followed in the 1961–62 season, while surviving features were documented again in 2015. The current mission represents the first new excavation at the temple and its surrounding area since the work of the early 1960s.
