Nile waterscapes facilitated the construction of the Giza pyramids during the 3rd millennium BCE.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
; 119(37): e2202530119, 2022 09 13.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36037388
ABSTRACT
The pyramids of Giza originally overlooked a now defunct arm of the Nile. This fluvial channel, the Khufu branch, enabled navigation to the Pyramid Harbor complex but its precise environmental history is unclear. To fill this knowledge gap, we use pollen-derived vegetation patterns to reconstruct 8,000 y of fluvial variations on the Giza floodplain. After a high-stand level concomitant with the African Humid Period, our results show that Giza's waterscapes responded to a gradual insolation-driven aridification of East Africa, with the lowest Nile levels recorded at the end of the Dynastic Period. The Khufu branch remained at a high-water level (â¼40% of its Holocene maximum) during the reigns of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure, facilitating the transportation of construction materials to the Giza Pyramid Complex.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Indústria da Construção
/
Rios
País como assunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article