New Discovery Reveals How Ancient Egyptians Built the Pyramids

Scientists have found that ancient Egyptians might have had help building the pyramids from a long-lost river, not aliens. Evidence of an uncharted branch of the Nile has been discovered near dozens of pyramids, supporting the theory that blocks were floated to the construction sites.

The mystery of how an ancient civilization transported massive stone blocks over long distances to construct monuments has baffled people for millennia. One of the most credible and widely accepted theories is that they floated the blocks on rafts down rivers. However, there’s a significant challenge: the Nile is located many kilometers away from the pyramid construction sites.

Mapping the Former Nile Branch Near the Pyramid Sites

At least, it is now. A new study indicates that the river once flowed much closer to the pyramid sites, but this branch has long since dried up. Through a combination of satellite imagery, geophysical surveys, and sediment sample analysis, the researchers claim to have mapped this ancient river branch. They suggest naming it “Ahramat,” which means pyramids in Arabic.

The study reports that the Ahramat branch extended approximately 64 km (40 miles) in a north-south direction, running roughly parallel to the modern Nile but situated between 2.5 and 10.25 km (1.6 and 6.4 miles) to the west. It measured between 2 and 8 meters (6.6 and 26.2 feet) deep and 200 to 700 meters (656 to 2,297 feet) wide, dimensions comparable to the current river.

Crucially, this ancient river appears to have passed by numerous pyramid sites. Several of these sites showed causeways ending in small structures exactly where researchers believe the banks of the Ahramat branch were, suggesting these structures functioned as docks.

Shedding Light on Ancient Construction

Professor Eman Ghoneim, the lead author of the study, remarked, “Many of us interested in ancient Egypt have speculated that the Egyptians likely used a waterway to construct their colossal monuments, such as the pyramids and valley temples, but the exact location, size, or proximity of this significant waterway to the actual pyramid sites remained uncertain. Our research provides the first comprehensive map of one of the primary ancient branches of the Nile on such a large scale and connects it with Egypt’s largest pyramid complexes.”

So what led to the disappearance of the Ahramat? Essentially, it’s likely that the passage of over 2,000 years since the last pyramid was constructed in the area has played a significant role. During this period, various factors such as constant winds depositing sand, floods depositing sediments, or shifts in plate tectonics could have contributed to the river’s eastward migration or alteration of its course.

The revelation has the potential to offer a clearer understanding of life in ancient Egypt. It could provide context for previously unexplained structures or texts, as well as guide archaeological teams toward new excavation sites.

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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