- The pyramids could have been built along a long-lost branch of the Nile River
- Might help explain why they are now in a narrow, inhospitable desert strip
It’s the wonders of the ancient world that still leave scientists scratching their heads today.
Now an important part of the mystery of the Egyptian pyramids may have been solved.
Archaeologists have discovered that the famous structures could have been built along a long-lost branch of the Nile River.
And it could help explain why they now appear to be in a narrow, inhospitable strip of desert.
Researchers from the University of North Carolina Wilmington studied satellite images to find the possible location of a former river branch that runs along the foothills of the Western Desert Plateau, near the pyramids.
It’s the wonders of the ancient world that still leave scientists scratching their heads today. Now an important part of the mystery of the Egyptian pyramids may have been solved. Pictured: the Great Pyramid of Khufu (right) and the Pyramid of Khafre (left) at the Necropolis of the Giza Pyramids
Archaeologists have discovered that the famous structures could have been built along a long-lost branch of the Nile River
They then used geophysical surveys and sediment cores to confirm the presence of river sediments and former channels beneath the modern land surface.
Analysis indicated the presence of a former 40-mile (64 km) long branch that has since dried up and been hidden by agricultural land.
The team suggests that an increase in the accumulation of wind-blown sand, coupled with a major drought that began about 4,200 years ago, could be one reason why this sand disappeared.
It could explain the placement of 31 pyramids, including the Giza pyramid complex, in this inhospitable part of the Sahara.
This location would have meant that the pyramids were easily accessible via the river branch at the time of construction.
Researchers from the University of North Carolina Wilmington studied satellite images to find the possible location of a former river branch that runs along the foothills of the Western Desert Plateau, near the pyramids. In the photo: the red pyramid at the Dahshur necropolis
The findings could help explain why they now appear to be in a narrow, inhospitable desert strip. In the photo: the step pyramid of Djoser
This would have been important for the transportation of building materials, the researchers said.
Writing in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, they said: ‘The largest pyramid field in Egypt is clustered along a narrow desert strip, but so far no convincing explanation has been given as to why these pyramids are concentrated in this specific location.
‘Here we use radar satellite images, in combination with geophysical data and deep soil drilling, to investigate the subsurface structure and sedimentology in the Nile Valley next to these pyramids.
‘We identify parts of a large extinct Nile branch, which we call the Ahramat branch, which runs at the foot of the Western Desert Plateau, where the majority of the pyramids are located.
‘Many of the pyramids, which date from the Old and Middle Kingdoms, have causeways leading to the branch ending with Valley Temples that may have served as river ports in the past.
“We suggest that the Ahramat branch played a role in the construction of the monuments and that it was simultaneously active and used as a transport waterway for workers and building materials to the sites of the pyramids.”