MARCH/APRIL 2025 * VOLUME 78, NUMBER 2 CONTENTS FEATURES 22 Images of vultures and hieroglyphs adorn the ceiling of the temple of Khnum's entrance hall, Esna, Egypt 22 AN EGYPTIAN TEMPLE REBORN By removing centuries of soot, researchers have uncovered the stunning decoration of a sanctuary dedicated to the heavens BY BENJAMIN LEONARD 30 THE SHELL SEEKERS How hunter-gatherers in northern Florida facing an uncertain future revived a powerful symbol of their past BY ERIC A. POWELL 34 UNEARTHING AN ELUSIVE EMPIRE Archaeologists have discovered rare evidence of an enlightened medieval dynasty that ruled much of Central Asia BY DANIEL WEISS archaeology.org Cover: Painted reliefs in the entrance hall of the temple of Khnum, Esna, Egypt PHOTO: AHmed Amin/© egyPTiAn minisTry Of TOurism And AnTiquiTies 40 THE SECRETS OF PORVENIR Remembering the victims of a 1918 massacre that shook a Texas border community BY SAMIR S. PATEL 44 AHEAD OF THEIR TIME Excavations reveal the surprising sophistication of Copper Age villagers in southwestern Iran 6,000 years ago BY ERIC A. POWELL 1http://www.archaeology.org