What was once believed to be a camp for the Pyramid builders in Giza may have actually been barracks for the Pharoah’s military troops.
Archaeologists have discovered evidence of barracks close to an ancient port suggesting the settlement could have been home to soldiers or sailors.
The findings call into question previous theories that thousands of workers would have set up camp in the region while building the pyramid of Giza.
Researchers from Ancient Egypt Research Associates (AERA) based in Massachusetts have been excavating the site, situated approximately 1,300ft south of the Great Sphinx of Giza, since 1988.
Last year, they discovered a large collection of animal bones, evidence of an ancient slaughter house for animals and a cemetery, thought to have been full of the bodies of pyramid workers.
The site is popularly known as the Lost City of Pyramid Builders, or Heit el-Ghurab and is believed to date back to the reign of pharaoh Menkaure at around 2550BC.
Menkaure was the son of Khafra and the grandson of Khufu and commissioned the final pyramid in Giza to be built, known as the Pyramid of Menkaure or Netjer-er-Menkaur, which means ‘Menkaure is divine.’
This reconstruction of the ancient barracks shows how troops lived and worked in the three-storey settlement. The total size of the site is said to cover almost ten football pitches. AERA believes the it would have been built in the 35 to 50 years that spanned the reigns of pharoahs Khafre and Menkaure.
Excavtors also found a large basin, pictured, near the site of the barrackes, suggesting the area may have been a port. This was bolstered by the fact the basin was found approximately half a mile away from a channel of the River Nile
However, more recent findings near this site, close to a monument dedicated to what is said to be Menkaure’s daughter Queen Khentkawes, suggest the area may have been a port.
Excavators discovered a large basin that may have formed part of a harbour or waterfront. This was bolstered by the fact the basin was found approximately half a mile away from channel of the River Nile.
AERA director Mark Lehenr and his team also found charcoal remains of trees that came from the Levant, a region in the eastern Mediterranean, along with pottery and jars for the same location.
This reconstructions shows how the galleries may have looked. It is thought that sailors may have travelled to and from the barracks from the Levant. Researchers also found charcoal remains of trees, and pottery from the Levant region in the eastern Mediterranean
Elsewhere, on the site of the Lost City, the archaeologists found evidence of long buildings called galleries, pictured, that could have been used to house visitors to the port. The galleries would have been approximately 113ft long and 23ft tall
(dailymail.co.uk)
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