Archaeologists discover perfectly circular ancient Egyptian temple that may have been used for sacred water rituals

Archaeologists have discovered a rare circular structure dedicated to a local Egyptian deity called Pelusius, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. The 2,200-year-old religious building includes complex water infrastructure and was once connected to the Nile, which suggests the sanctuary was used for sacred water rituals.

The temple was found by archaeologists working at the site of Tell el-Farama in the ancient city of Pelusium, on the eastern edge of the Nile Delta in the North Sinai governorate, representatives from the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said in an April 9 translated statement. Given its strategic location near the mouth of the Nile, the bustling port city of Pelusium was used as a fortress in pharaonic times and later as a customs station during the rise of the Roman Empire. In 2022, archaeologists discovered a temple to Zeus crafted from pink granite at the site.

Experts initially uncovered the temple to Pelusius in 2019. A partial excavation of about one-quarter of the area revealed a red-brick circular structure, which archaeologists interpreted as representing the city's senate house, Hesham Hussein, head of the Central Administration for Antiquities of Lower Egypt and Sinai, said in the statement. But once a full excavation of the temple was completed and the building was completely exposed, that interpretation changed.

The sanctuary complex centered around a circular basin approximately 115 feet (35 meters) in diameter with a square pedestal in the middle. It likely once held a colossal statue of the god Pelusius, whose name comes from the ancient Greek word for "mud" or "silt." Water channels and reservoirs surrounded the basin. Within the basin, which was connected to a branch of the Nile, archaeologists found water and Nile silt, suggesting a symbolic association with Pelusius.

Based on the stratigraphic layers at the site, experts think the temple to Pelusius was built in the second century B.C. and was used continuously through the sixth century A.D.

The temple's unique architectural design, which blended ancient Egyptian traditions with both Greek and Roman styles, embodied the cultural exchange between Egypt and the wider world, Hisham El-Leithy, acting secretary-general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, said in the statement. El-Leithy described the discovery as "highly significant" because it shows that Pelusium was once a prominent city in an increasingly cosmopolitan ancient world.

Ancient Egypt quiz: Test your smarts about pyramids, hieroglyphs and King Tut