Unveiling the Ancient Toxins: The Mysterious Origins of Copper and Arsenic Pollution at the Giza Pyramids

2024-09-05 06:00:11

An international study has made it possible to reconstruct the environment of the Giza plateau, where the pyramids of Cheops, Khafre and Mykerinos are located.

Image d’illustration Pixabay

Unlike usual archaeological research, this study used geomorphological, paleoecological and geochemical methods to analyze samples from the site. These analyses revealed copper and arsenic contamination dating back more than 5,000 years, linked to the use of tools during the construction of the necropolis.

This discovery was made possible thanks to geochemical analyses carried out on a sediment core drilled at the foot of the pyramids, in an ancient branch of the Nile which has now disappeared and which allowed the transport of construction materials, an ancient branch characterized by a geophysical and geomorphological prospection published by the same team.

The different phases of development of the Giza necropolis can thus be chemically characterized from the predynastic period to the New Kingdom, with particular attention paid to the construction of the pyramids and the Sphinx. This study supports archaeological results and helps to remove uncertainties about the dates of construction of pharaonic tombs, particularly during the first dynasty, more than 3000 years before our era.

This work fits perfectly with previous archaeological discoveries and provides original data that opens up new research perspectives on the necropolises of the vallée of the Nile using independent tracers that complement archaeological analyses.

Reference:
Gamal Younes, David Kaniewski, Nick Marriner, Christophe Morhange, Hader Sheisha, Martin Odler, Yanna Wang, Zhongyuan Chen, Gad El-Qady, Amr Saleem, Alain Véron.
The construction of the Giza pyramids chronicled by human copper contamination.
Geology 2024.

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