MYSTERY OF HOW PYRAMIDS WERE BUILT MAY HAVE BEEN SOLVED BY RESEARCHERS

Tue 06 September 2022:

The ancient world’s wonder of the pyramids has withstood the test of time and continues to fascinate millions of people worldwide. Pyramid building must have been a tremendous undertaking.

The main three pyramids, which are located on the outskirts of contemporary Cairo, were each constructed from millions of stone pieces and ranged in weight from 2.5 to 15 tonnes.

Given that the pyramids were constructed more than 4,000 years ago, the precise method of construction is still a mystery, and modern tools were not accessible at the time.

The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday, explain how ancient Egyptians were able to haul millions of the tons-heavy building blocks to the site of the iconic pyramids over four miles of what is now a desert landscape.

“It was impossible to build the pyramids here without this branch of the Nile,” study author and geographer Hader Sheesh said, per The New York Times.

It is believed that ancient Egyptians ferried the huge stone blocks on the Nile river. But today, the Nile can be found about four miles away from the pyramids. It appears to be an impossible job to take a tonne-heavy stone across the distance.

The Giza pyramid complex is about 4 miles away from the Nile.Google maps.

But scientists have now said that a stable branch of the Nile flowed near pyramids. The branch is no longer present today.

To detemine whether the Nile flowed very close to the pyramids, the researchers dug holes in the desert around the pyramids and searched for pollens of plants that thrived in an aquatic environment.

Awesome in size, with perfect geometry, and adorned with intricate decorations, the pyramids at Giza, on the outskirts of modern Cairo, served to demonstrate the power of the pharaohs in Egypt’s golden age.

The site comprises three pyramids and the Great Sphinx of Giza, built as ornate, awe-inspiring mausoleums for pharaohs Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure between about 2560 B.C. and 2540 BC.

Scientists had already thought Egyptians may have brought the stones to the site by water.

A papyrus discovered in 2013 showed the location of an ancient harbor near the Red Sea where the stones were loaded, suggesting the Egyptians knew how to move the blocks along rivers.

Other digs had suggested a harbor was built next to the pyramids and that builders had carved intricate waterways near the port.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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