How did the Egyptians manage to transport some 2.3 million stones, each weighing 2,500 kilograms, to their current location?
Let’s immerse ourselves for a moment in the mysterious Egypt, land of the pharaohs, mummies and pyramids. And in particular on the pyramids of Giza. A group of eminent researchers claim to have discovered how the Egyptians managed to move the huge stones needed to build the pyramids. And no, it’s not an alien theory.
Have you ever had the chance to see the Giza pyramids with your own eyes? If so, you are truly lucky. The pyramids of Giza are among the most famous and oldest man-made structures. No wonder they are one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
The Giza pyramids were probably built around 4,500 years ago. But how did the Egyptians manage to transport some 2.3 million stones, each weighing 2,500 kilograms, to their current location? A group of researchers from France, China and Egypt has published a study that sheds light on how the ancient Egyptians were able to transport the huge blocks of stone needed to build the pyramids. Imagine for a moment that you had to move a block weighing as much as a small car, but without engines, cranes or trucks. How would you do?
The solution, according to this study, lies in a stream that once passed very close to the pyramids. It was not just any watercourse, but a branch of the great Nile River, nicknamed “Khufu”. This branch no longer exists today, but it was present 4,500 years ago, when the pyramids were built.
How did scientists discover this? Thanks to small fossilized pollen grains that were found in the ground near the pyramids. These little grains are like witnesses to the past whispering to us the secrets of ancient Egypt. They show that at the time, the place was lined with flowering grasses that grew along the rivers. It was thus the proof that a great river flowed close to the pyramids!
Thanks to this watercourse, the Egyptians could easily transport the heavy blocks of stone. They placed them on boats that sailed on the Nile, then on the Khufu branch, to transport them to the Giza shipyard. It’s as if the Egyptians had their own water highway to transport materials!
According to environmental geographer Harder Sheisha, it would have been impossible to build these pyramids without these tributaries. The theory of archaeologists therefore seems more and more probable. However, how did the Egyptians manage to hoist these massive stones to a height of 150 meters? It is unlikely that in 2500 BC. J.-C., they had cranes or other technical equipment. The enigma remains and still arouses as much interest!