Egypt’s iconic pyramids have captivated the world for centuries, as questions persist over exactly how ancient builders constructed the towering monuments with such remarkable precision.
Now, new clues uncovered near the Nile have suggested that ancient builders may have mastered advanced construction techniques centuries before the pyramids of Giza rose from the desert.
Archaeologists excavating a 5,000-year-old burial ground on the Nile’s eastern bank have uncovered two tombs containing architectural features that appear to foreshadow those later used to construct Egypt’s pyramids.
The structures had walls that were thicker at the bottom and gradually narrowed toward the top, a design that provided greater stability.
Similar engineering principles would later be employed on a monumental scale in Egypt’s step pyramids and the great pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure that followed.
Researchers also discovered evidence of ancient stone-cutting methods and enormous wooden supports built into the tombs, some extending along the full length of the walls.
The remarkably ‘sophisticated’ structures were found at Jabal al-Tayr in Egypt’s Minya Governorate, where people were buried over thousands of years.
Their resemblance to royal tombs at Abydos, where Egypt’s earliest kings were buried, suggests advanced building knowledge was already spreading across the country during the civilization’s formative centuries.
Egypt’s iconic pyramids have captivated the world for centuries, as questions persist over exactly how ancient builders constructed the towering monuments with such remarkable precision
Researchers said the tombs provide a rare glimpse into the architectural experimentation that came before Egypt’s great stone pyramids, as builders developed burial structures into monuments designed to last for thousands of years.
The discovery could rewrite ancient Egyptian history by suggesting that sophisticated engineering techniques linked to pyramid construction emerged earlier and spread more widely across the country than previously believed.
Dr Hisham El-Leithy, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said early analysis revealed similarities between the newly discovered structures and the tomb of King Den, one of the most powerful rulers of Egypt’s First Dynasty.
The First Dynasty was the first line of kings to rule a united ancient Egypt, beginning around 3100 BC after Upper and Lower Egypt were brought together as one kingdom.
It marked the beginning of ancient Egypt as an organized state, with a central government, royal burial traditions and major advances in writing, engineering and architecture. King Den was one of its most influential rulers.
El-Leithy described the first tomb as an exceptional discovery with a unique design, while noting that the second has a similar layout and remains remarkably well preserved.
Sherif Fathy, Egypt’s minister of tourism and antiquities, said the structures could help researchers trace how burial architecture evolved throughout ancient Egyptian history.
The structures had walls that were thicker at the bottom and gradually narrowed toward the top, a design that provided greater stability
Archaeologists also uncovered oxidation marks on the stone that may have been left as workers cut and prepared the blocks, along with wooden supports used to reinforce the walls.
Researchers also discovered evidence of ancient stone-cutting methods and enormous wooden supports built into the tombs, some extending along the full length of the walls. Above is an aerial view of the tombs
A second tomb discovered to the south was far better preserved, offering researchers a clearer view of its original design.
The team said the tombs provide a rare glimpse into the architectural experiments that preceded Egypt’s great stone pyramids, as builders began creating burial monuments designed to survive for thousands of years.
Researchers also uncovered part of a cemetery dating to before Egypt became a unified kingdom.
Several people had been buried in curled positions and wrapped in woven plant mats, alongside black-topped pottery from the Naqada II and Naqada III periods.
The team also found human remains inside wooden coffins and laying outside in the dusty landscape
Naqada II and Naqada III were prehistoric stages of Egyptian civilization before the country was united under its first pharaohs.
Individual and mass burials from Egypt’s Late Period had been unearthed, with some people placed inside wooden coffins, fragments of which survived despite extensive decay.
The discoveries suggest the site remained an important burial ground throughout several periods of ancient Egyptian history.
