Those lucky enough to have had the chance to gaze up and see one of the magnificent pyramids of Ancient Egypt are often left speechless for a few moments. It’s truly remarkable and awe-inspiring what the empire’s laborers, like worker ants, accomplished thousands of years ago. One can only appreciate the outcome. However, there are parallels between the working conditions of that time and today. The on-site conditions weren’t optimal, and a recent study has confirmed it.
Past research. In 2019, a team of geochemists from the University of Marseille in France drilled into the ground in Khufu Harbor, a 4,500-year-old settlement (the oldest) near the location that eventually became home to the pyramids of the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure. The harbor was situated next to a branch of the Nile River that no longer exists.
The scientists then analyzed the samples using a technique known as plasma-less spectrometry to measure levels of copper and other metals, such as aluminum, iron, and titanium. This year, scientists initiated a new study based on the 2019 data.
Working with copper. Using carbon dating, the same team of researchers conducted a series of tests that resulted in the new study published in the Geology magazine. What did they uncover? Researchers discovered that copper contamination began at around 3265 BC, indicating that the area was inhabited by humans 200 years earlier than previously believed.
Not just that. This contamination peaked 750 years later, around 1000 BC, before finally disappearing. Levels of copper were “5 to 6 times higher than the natural background,” study co-author Alain Véron, a researcher at France’s Aix-Merseille Université, told science news magazine Eos.
In other words, the construction of the famous pyramid complex at Giza likely led to health issues for the human workers. While they were working in the necropolis, laborers were exposed to significant amounts of copper. As such, researchers believe this was the first major instance of metal contamination.
A new industry. Researchers also think this discovery might have other implications. The presence of copper suggests a thriving tool-making industry, with arsenic possibly used to strengthen other metals. In fact, according to some samples, workers might have built tools such as blades and drills, which may have been essential to the construction of the pyramid complex.
Poor working conditions. As previously mentioned, the study highlights the potentially poor working conditions of the laborers who built one of the great wonders of the world thousands of years ago. While a small copper exposure isn’t necessarily bad, overexposure can cause vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal pain.
Additionally, long-term excessive copper exposure can have even more harmful effects, such as kidney and liver damage. It’s difficult to determine the extent of these occurrences among the ancient Egyptians due to potential contamination. However, the presence of metal in soil samples offers a unique and deeper understanding of their way of life.
Bottom line. The archaeologists emphasize that their new findings shed light on an undocumented aspect of the daily lives of lower or working class laborers in Ancient Egypt. Furthermore, the study’s success may inspire further research aimed at uncovering techniques and materials used in ancient constructions.
Image | Ricardo Gomez Angel (via Unsplash)
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