Oldest-known Christian church unearthed outside Egypt's Alexandria

Sputnik
Fri, 31 May 2019 15:29 UTC

© T. Skrzypiec/pcma.uw.edu.pl

The experts were working on a ruined basilica when they found the remains of an even older church.

The newly-unearthed ancient temple's structure resembles those found on the Greek islands and mainland, which are also alleged to date back to the mid-fourth century AD.

Polish archaeologists made a remarkable discovery as they unearthed the over 2,000-year-old port city of Marea, to the southwest of the ancient Egyptian stronghold of Alexandria, claiming that it might have been a hotspot of early Christianity in Egypt.

Marea was home to a large Christian basilica, which served its religious purpose from the fifth to the eighth century, and right underneath there was found an even older Christian temple.

© ISAWNYU

A fourth century Christian temple was found under these basilica ruins

"Towards the end of the last research season under the basilica, we came across remains in the form of walls", archaeologist Krzysztof Babraj, from the Krakow Museum of Archaeology, shared, as quoted by local media, adding that the humble structure was around 79ft by 49ft (24m by 15m).

"It is, therefore, one of the oldest Christian temples found in Egyptian territories, today", Babraj remarked, noting that the structure was apparently built by locals, but shared architectural features with churches from the Greek islands and mainland built around the same time period.

© D. Tarara

The outline of the church from the 4th century is marked in brown.

Inside the church, a no less valuable cache of ancient artefacts was hidden - broken ceramic pots and glass, with some of them considered to likely have been used to store wine and are thought to have come from outside of Egypt, probably from Cyprus or Anatolia, which is a part of Turkey today.

The excavation also unearthed so-called Greek crosses, which look like crosses with equal arm lengths, along with small flasks for scented perfumes.

© A. Drzymuchowska

In addition to the basilica and a burial chapel, the team’s most interesting findings in Marea so far include the largest collections of ceramic fragments ('ostraca' to archaeologists) discovered in Egypt.

The Christian temple most likely collapsed after an earthquake struck the port city.

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Specific construction techniques used in raising the church suggest its walls were built sometime around the mid-fourth century.

Dr Babraj said: "It is, therefore, one of the oldest Christian temples found in Egyptian territories, today."

In the expert's opinion, the structure was built by locals but it shared architectural features with churches found on the Greek islands and mainland around the same time period.

The archaeologist said: "Our discovery is also important because we practically do not know of any church remains from the neighbouring metropolis of Alexandria, from this time period.

"Now we know, how they could have looked like, which is is why it is crucial we continue our research, which we have only just begun in the vicinity of the old church."

The ancient Egyptian city of Marea was a port city built during the conquests of Alexander the Great. The port developed from around the time of the third century BC up until the Byzantine era of the eighth century AD.

Marea served as a transport hub on the Nile, connecting goods from deep within Egypt to the Mediterranean.

The ancient city may have also been known in the past as Philoxenite.