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Egypt says archaeologists have unearthed one of the oldest villages ever found in the Nile Delta, with remains dating back to before the pharaohs.

The Antiquities Ministry said Sunday the Neolithic site was discovered in Tell el-Samara, about 140 kilometres north of Cairo. Chief archaeologist Frederic Gio says his team found silos containing animal bones and food, indicating human habitation as early as 5,000 B.C.

That would be some 2,500 years before the Giza pyramids were built.

In recent years, Egypt has touted discoveries in the hopes of reviving tourism after the unrest that followed its 2011 popular uprising.

WATCH: Archaeologists preparing to open sarcophagus unearthed in Egypt

0:47 Archaeologists preparing to open sarcophagus unearthed in Egypt Archaeologists preparing to open sarcophagus unearthed in Egypt

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