Revealed: How Egypt's biggest pyramids were built

Scientists have recently unearthed a hidden branch of the Nile River, shedding light on how ancient Egyptians transported massive stone blocks to construct over 30 pyramids in Egypt.

The 40-mile-long river branch, which once flowed by the Giza pyramid complex and other ancient wonders, remained concealed under desert and farmland for thousands of years. Its discovery was revealed in a research paper published in the journal ‘Communications Earth & Environment’, on Thursday.

“Many of us who are interested in ancient Egypt are aware that the Egyptians must have used a waterway to build their enormous monuments, like the pyramids and valley temples, but nobody was certain of the location, the shape, the size, or proximity of this mega waterway to the actual pyramids site,” said Eman Ghoneim, an earth and ocean sciences professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington who led the team. “Our research offers the first map of one of the main ancient branches of the Nile at such a large scale and links it with the largest pyramid fields of Egypt.” 

How was the study conducted?

The team employed radar satellite imagery, combined with geophysical data and deep soil coring, to investigate the subsurface structure and sedimentology in the Nile Valley adjacent to the pyramids. This technology allowed them to penetrate the sand surface and reveal hidden features, including buried rivers and ancient structures.

They identified segments of a significant extinct Nile branch, named the Ahramat Branch, running at the foothills of the Western Desert Plateau, where the majority of the pyramids are located.

“Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery and radar high-resolution elevation data for the Nile floodplain and its desert margins, between south Lisht and the Giza Plateau area, provide evidence for the existence of segments of a major ancient river branch bordering 31 pyramids dating from the Old Kingdom to Second Intermediate Period (2686−1649 BCE) and spanning between Dynasties 3–13,” said the study.

What did the study find?

The team suggests that the Ahramat Branch was crucial in the construction of these monuments, functioning as an active transportation waterway for workmen and building materials to the pyramid sites.

The presence of this long-buried river provides a plausible explanation for why the 31 pyramids were constructed in a chain along a barren desert strip in the Nile valley between 4,700 and 3,700 years ago.

The river’s existence suggests that it played a crucial role in transporting the enormous building materials and workmen needed for pyramid construction. Many pyramids had a ceremonial raised walkway that ran alongside the river, leading to Valley Temples that served as harbours.

These heavy materials, most of which were from the south, “would have been much easier to float down the river” than transport over land, the study co-author Suzanne Onstine of the University of Memphis wrote.

The banks of the river 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 may also indicate why the pyramids were built in different spots.

“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.”

The once-mighty river gradually became covered in sand, likely starting during a major drought around 4,200 years ago.

The discovery highlights the close relationship between geography, climate, environment, and human behaviour in ancient civilisations. It also offers new insights into how ancient Egyptians managed to build these massive and enduring structures.

With inputs from agencies