Pyramids built along long-lost river, scientists discover - Times of India

Original source (on modern site) | Article images: [1]

NEW DELHI: Scientists have found a previously hidden part of the Nile river that used to run next to over 30

pyramids

in Egypt, a discovery that could explain how the

ancient Egyptians

moved the large stone blocks to construct the well-known monuments.

The river branch that was 64 kilometers long and passed by the iconic

Giza

pyramid complex and other wonders, remained hidden under desert and farmland for thousands of years, a study by by the University of North Carolina Wilmington said.

The river's presence could account for the construction of 31 pyramids in a sequential manner across a currently barren desert area in the

Nile

Valley around 4,700 to 3,700 years ago.

The area close to the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis contains the Great Pyramid of Giza, which is the only remaining structure of the seven wonders of the ancient world, along with the Khafre, Cheops, and Mykerinos pyramids.

Archaeologists had believed for a long time that the ancient Egyptians probably utilized a nearby waterway to transport the large materials required for constructing the pyramids.

"But nobody was certain of the location, the shape, the size or proximity of this mega waterway to the actual pyramids site," AFP quoted lead study author Eman Ghoneim of the University of North Carolina Wilmington in the United States.

The international team of researchers used radar satellite imagery to map the river branch, which they called Ahramat -- "pyramids' in Arabic.

Radar gave them the "unique ability to penetrate the sand surface and produce images of hidden features including buried rivers and ancient structures," Ghoneim said.

Surveys conducted in the field and sediment cores taken from the site confirmed the existence of the river, as stated in the study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.

The scientists suggested that the once mighty river was increasingly covered in sand, potentially starting during a major drought around 4,200 years ago.

The mystery of the great pyramid

The Giza pyramids were located on a plateau about one kilometer away from the riverbank.

Many of the pyramids had a "ceremonial raised walkway' which ran alongside the river before ending at the Valley Temples which served as harbours, Ghoneim said.

This indicates that the river played "a key role in the transportation of the enormous building materials and workmen needed for the pyramid's construction," she added.

It has been a great mystery in history how ancient Egyptians were able to construct such massive and enduring structures.

These heavy materials, most of which were from the south, "would have been much easier to float down the river' than transport over land, study co-author Suzanne Onstine of the University of Memphis in the US state of Tennessee told AFP.

The banks of the rivers could have been where the funeral entourages of pharaohs were received before their bodies were moved to their "final burial place within the pyramid," she suggested.

The river might also provide clues as to why the pyramids were constructed in various locations.

"The water's course and its volume changed over time, so fourth dynasty kings had to make different choices than 12th dynasty kings," she said.

"The discovery reminded me about the intimate connection between geography, climate, environment and human behaviour."

( with input from agency)