A joint Chinese-Egyptian archaeological team has uncovered a previously unknown sacred lake, reliefs of the Nile god Hapi, and new evidence from temples dedicated to Osiris at Egypt’s Karnak Temple complex. The discoveries come from the Precinct of Montu in Luxor, the site of ancient Thebes. Researchers from China and Egypt have excavated the area since 2018, according to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Newly discovered sacred lake reveals ritual landscape
Among the most significant finds is a well-preserved artificial reservoir known as the Southern Sacred Lake. It lies near the previously known Northern Sacred Lake, creating an unusual arrangement of two ritual lakes within the same temple precinct. The southern lake covers about 50 square meters and is about 5 meters deep. Large sandstone blocks line its walls, while a stone staircase descends toward the bottom. Researchers believe priests used the steps to collect water for religious ceremonies.
Water played a central role in the development of Karnak. A recent study found that Karnak Temple was built on high ground that emerged from surrounding Nile waters, potentially influencing both the location and religious meaning of the complex. About 2 meters of silt still covers the newly discovered lakebed. Archaeologists hope future excavation could uncover personal objects or other artifacts that help date the structure.
The team also found possible planting pits near the lake and a raised structure that may have been used to keep birds. Researchers are studying whether these features formed part of a landscaped sacred area with water, plants, and animals.
Hapi reliefs revive much older Egyptian artistic style
In the precinct, archaeologists have completed preliminary excavations of five of six known temples dedicated to Osiris, the ancient Egyptian god associated with death and rebirth.
At the fifth temple, researchers reconstructed fallen stone blocks and uncovered reliefs of Hapi, the god associated with the Nile’s flooding and abundance. The figures carry offerings and face the temple entrance. Nearby inscriptions describe the offerings.
Researchers said the unusually full-bodied Hapi figures resemble artistic traditions from the Old Kingdom, despite appearing in a temple dating to the much later 25th and 26th dynasties. Other recent excavations in Egypt have also revealed important evidence from the 26th Dynasty, including inscribed blocks naming Pharaoh Psamtik I at the Old Qasr Temple. The Hapi style at Karnak may reflect a deliberate revival of Egypt’s much older artistic traditions.
Female figure could help identify temple builder
The third Osiris temple produced another important clue. Archaeologists reconstructed a relief showing a female religious figure making offerings and found a fragment of a woman wearing a double-feathered crown, cobra and vulture headdress.
The imagery is consistent with powerful royal religious women of the period, including holders of the title God’s Wife of Amun. Amun remained closely tied to Karnak for centuries, and archaeologists recently uncovered a Roman-era stela showing Emperor Tiberius as a pharaoh alongside Egyptian gods at Karnak.
Researchers say further study could help identify the woman depicted in the Osiris temple and possibly determine who commissioned the structure. The discoveries add to a series of archaeological finds around Luxor, where researchers recently uncovered an ancient tomb decorated with colorful murals.
Together, the findings from the Montu precinct are providing new evidence of how religion, architecture, and ritual life developed at Karnak across centuries of ancient Egyptian history.
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