Archaeologists uncovered remains of a mud-brick building foundations at Tell el-Rataba, Egypt, suggesting that they may have supported a multi-storey structure, measuring even up to 15 metres.

The foundations measure 20 metres in length and are 8 metre wide. Archaeologists suggest they could hold a 15 metre structure, which means a 6-7-storey-high building. Such high structures were popular in Egypt between 8th century BC to 5th  century AD. The reason for construction of this kind of buildings was possibly a sudden growth in the numbers of the population, and trouble to find space for new buildings. It is estimated that since the New Kingdom (16-11th cent. BC) to the Late Period (7th cent. BC) the number of Egyptians grew from 3 to 5 millions. The researchers also suggest that these high structures protected from high flooding of the Nile – the foundations found at the site have 1.8-metre thick walls. Archaeologists also point to the defensive properties of such buildings, in which in order to access the higher storeys one had to climb through narrow staircases. The site is considered as a strategically crucial as it could oversee the course of the trade-route between Egypt and the Levant.

(after Nauka w Polsce & Sławomir Rzepka)