The whole complex was attached to a 16-column hall, part of an old governor's palace that eventually was transformed into a center of commerce and administration, the archaeologists say.
Overlooked
Part of the reason so little is known about ancient Egypt's basic settlements is because there are so few.
Many were destroyed during thousands of years of construction or from farmers who used the ancient Nile mud for fertilizer at the turn of the 20th century.
Archaeologists also say that interest in studying ancient Egyptian settlements has only bloomed in the last 20 or 30 years.
"This has been changing, and people are more and more interested in how settlements were organized and how normal people lived," Moeller said.
Vivian Davies is an archaeologist at the British Museum who is excavating at a nearby site in Edfu.
"[The Tell Edfu settlement] rectifies the imbalance in our picture of ancient Egypt, which is largely derived from tombs and temples," Davies said.
"We need to complement that picture with archaeology in the places where Egyptians lived, as opposed to the places where they worshiped and where they were placed when they were dead."
Complex Politics
The find also helps illuminate the complex political relationships during the 17th dynasty. At the time pharaohs were based in the city of Thebes north of Edfu, where they were beset by aggressive neighbors such as the Hyksos in the north and Nubian Kushites in the south.
"We do know something about these people, but it's one of the more obscure periods of ancient Egyptian history," Moeller said.
Local authorities wielded considerable power, due to the pharaohs' eagerness to recruit allies.
For instance, Queen Sebekemsaf, wife of pharaoh Antef Nubkheperre, was actually the daughter of the governor of Edfu, Moeller said. "We know that from bracelets that have been found with her name as well as her husband."
The pharaoh's remains have been found in the Valley of the Kings near Thebes, but records indicate that Sebekemsaf was buried in Edfu.
Archaeologists say the queen must not have been royalty if she was buried locally, supporting the idea that Theban kings made ties with local governors.
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