Archaeologists working in Egypt's Nile Delta have discovered the remains of an ancient village that predated the era of the pharaohs, the country's Antiquities Ministry said last week.

“Analysing the biological material that has been discovered will present us with a clearer view of the first communities that settled in the Delta and the origins of agriculture and farming in Egypt,” said Nadia Khedr, a ministry official.

Rain- based Neolithic farming may hold vital clues to a technological leap that led to irrigation -based farming along the Nile.