Ancient lost kingdom found in deserts of Libya

Rex

British archaeologists are set to explore an ancient lost kingdom buried in the deserts of Libya following the fall of Colonel Gaddafi.

Satellites have helped discover more than 100 castles, and fortified towns and villages at the site in the Sahara, which, it is estimated, lasted 1,000 years until about 600AD, when it is believed it ran out of water,

The civilisation has been described as 'advanced', with underground water channels built for agriculture.

The African people known as Garamantes actually existed before Islam, but their history was largely ignored by Gaddafi.

Now, UK archaeologists who had to flee when fighting broke out, can return to explore.

A University of Leicester team run by Professor David Mattingly identified the ruins from the satellite photos.

Spokesman Dr Martin Sterry told the Mirror: 'It was an organised state with towns and villages, a written language and state-of-the-art technologies.'