The mysteries of the construction of the pyramids of Egypt continue to fascinate archaeologists. New analyzes confirm the existence of a shipping channel to transport the huge blocks of stone.
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Today, the pyramids of Giza overlook overcrowded neighborhoods in an arid zone. The Nile is only ten kilometers away. But if we go back more than 4,000 years ago, we have to imagine a completely different landscape. “It’s a swampy landscapeexplains Christophe Morhange, professor of physical geography.
“There is a flood that lasts four to five months in the year. When we are not in a flood period, there is this channel and these water basins, so it is a very aquatic landscape.
Christophe Morhange, professor of physical geographyat franceinfo
These basins would therefore have been used by the workers to transport the huge blocks of stone, coming from the quarries of Aswan more than 800 kilometers away, and used in these titanic construction sites that were the construction of the pyramids. A few years ago, an American archaeologist was the first to describe the existence of a channel arriving at the foot of the pyramids. “Using the Nile is the most logical solutiondeveloped Christophe Morhange. But he is the first to have published, a few years ago, a cartographic model of the location of this channel, and more precisely of the basins which made it possible to transport and land the stones which allowed the construction of the pyramids.
To try to validate this hypothesis, Christophe Morhange and his team went on site to take samples from the basement. “In these corings, we were able to identify pollens and therefore the pollens make it possible to reconstruct the history of the vegetationdetails the scientist. And then, they make it possible to indirectly estimate the proximity of the Nile, if it had a significant flow or if it was in the process of reduction in terms of flow.
It only remains to discover a wreck now. “I am convinced that one day we will find one of these rafts which brought the stones to the pyramids. It would be a real archaeological scoop !” affirms Christophe Morhange. Lhe team of researchers is continuing its analyzes to identify tool residues this time.