Description
Book SynopsisThe inside story, told by the archaeological detectives themselves, of the extraordinary discovery of the world's oldest papyri revealing how King Khufu's men built the Great Pyramid at Giza. Pierre Tallet's discovery of the Red Sea Scrolls the world's oldest surviving written documents in 2013 was one of the most remarkable moments in the history of Egyptology. These papyri, written some 4,600 years ago, combined with Mark Lehner's research and theories, change what we thought we knew about the building of the Great Pyramid at Giza. Here, for the first time, Tallet and Lehner together give us the definitive account of this astounding discovery. The story begins with Tallet's hunt for hieroglyphic rock inscriptions in the Sinai Peninsula, leading up to the discovery of the papyri the diary of Inspector Merer, who oversaw workers in the reign of Pharaoh Khufu in Wadi el-Jarf, the site of an ancient harbour on the Red Sea. The translation of the papyri reveals for the first
Trade Review'This landmark, elegantly illustrated book is the first to reveal how raw materials used in the Great Pyramid’s construction … were transported to Giza' - Science
'A detailed, compelling account of Khufu’s extraordinary project, based on the latest evidence' - Toby Wilkinson, Times Literary Supplement
'A really fascinating, in-depth discussion of a remarkable set of documents that show this early civilisation coming together' - Guy de la Bédoyère MA FSA
'Rigorously detailed … for diehard nerds there’s plenty of mapping, reconstruction and transliteration' - The Spectator
'A vivid, richly illustrated account' - Current World Archaeology
'A fascinating and, above all, readable account of a discovery that has already had significant impact on our understanding of Egypt in the Pyramid Age' - Ancient Egypt Magazine
Table of ContentsPrologue
Introduction
Part I
Discoveries in the Desert
The Red Sea
Part II
Copper
Sneferu and Khufu and their Pyramid
From Khufu to Khafra on the Red Sea Coast and at Giza
Finding the Papyri
The Challenges of Translating the Papyri
What the Papyri Tell Us
Part IV
How Merer and his Team Transported Stone to Giza
From the Red Sea to the Nile Delta: A Year in the Life of Merer and his Men
From Worker’s Village to Port City
Overseer of the Ro She Ankh-haf
Part V
Feeding the Workers
How They Could Have Raised the Stone
How the Pyramids Created a Unified State
Conclusion: Future Discoveries on the Red Sea Coast?
Appendix : Translation of Papyri
