An ancient Egyptian named Merer wrote an intricate text describing how the Egyptian workforce behind the Great Pyramid was made up of an incredible number of skilled engineers. According to him, these workers used boats to transport more than 170,000 tons of limestone from Tura to Giza down the Nile.
This finally served as the first written account in history for Egyptologists. But there was another astounding detail that makes this engineering wonder even more impressive.
Discovery Of The Century
When an ancient papyrus was found in a cave in Wadi al-Jarf in 2013, a remarkable discovery was made. They are the oldest of their kind ever found, from just over 4,500 years ago.
The hieroglyphic text revealed details of the construction of the pyramids that archeologists and historians had only previously speculated on. They now had substantial proof that confirmed an old mystery. So who uncovered this game-changing artifact?
History Maker
Pierre Tallet was the person who made this notable discovery. After finding the ancient papyrus, he deciphered the hieroglyphics for almost half a decade and worked out exactly what was written there.
"Since the very day of the discovery, it was quite evident that we have the oldest papyrus ever found in the world," he said. He knew with his amazing find that he had changed the face of Egyptology. But what was the actual truth behind this amazing artifact?
Man Made Canals
The other incredible thing Merer wrote about was a complex channel system. The pyramid engineers built the series of canals to make the transport of materials as quick and efficient as possible. These canals connected directly from the Nile to the area on which the pyramids were built.
Where then did the materials come from exactly? Merer not only painted a clear picture of the building techniques but also revealed the important figures behind the project.
The Pharoah & The Vizier
The Diary of Merer actually revealed a great deal of important and fascinating information about the king's reign (2600 B.C.), Pharaoh Khufu. His half-brother, " the noble Ankh-haf," was also his Vizier and his supervision of the construction of the Great Pyramid was confirmed.
The text suggests that it was Khufu himself who instructed the engineers to decorate the Pyramid with Tura limestone, his soon-to-be tomb. But it was someone else that helped realize the dream of Tallet.