An early publication study from July detailed the discovery of human-caused metal contamination, believed to be linked to the construction of the Giza necropolis.
Chemical analysis of sediment cores taken from the Nile floodplain at Giza reveal a significant amount of copper pollution (“contamination”) within the “regnal years of Kings Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure, consistent with metalworking during the preparation and construction of the edifices,” an international team of researchers wrote in the study, published in the journal Geology.
The samples reportedly represent the first known major instance of human-induced metal contamination (ie: pollution), a researcher said. “The sediments are as important as the monuments,” study co-author Christophe Morhange told ZME Science. The metal work is dated to around 3265 B.C., according to the study. That was over 5,000 years ago, much earlier than Big Archaeology probably wants us to believe our ancestors were capable of creating traceable pollution.
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There is limited evidence on the Predynastic civilizations of North Africa, likely due to a significant lack of research by Big Archaeology. Morhange noted to ZME Science that most researchers tend to overlook evidence of Giza’s earlier occupation because of the marvel of the Pyramids. (RELATED: Rare Zodiac Imagery Unearthed In Ancient Egyptian Temple)
“We found the oldest regional metal contamination ever recorded in the world,” study co-author Alain Veron told the outlet, adding that levels of copper were “5 to 6 times higher than the natural background” during this timeframe.
The pyramids of the Giza Necropolis in Egypt, as seen from an aircraft, circa 1960. On the left, the Pyramid of Khufu, and on the right, the Pyramid of Khafre. (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images)
GIZA, EGYPT – DECEMBER 02: View of the Pyramid of Khafre at sunset on December 02, 2022 in Giza, Egypt. (Photo by Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
GIZA, EGYPT – DECEMBER 02: Nignt view of the Giza Pyramids on December 02, 2022 in Giza, Egypt. (Photo by Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
So advanced was Ancient Egypt’s use of copper that Pharaoh Sahure, of the 5th Dynasty, had copper plumbing inside of his funerary pyramid complex, according to the Copper Development Association. (RELATED: Archaeologists Unearth ‘First-Of-Its-Kind’ Teenage Mummy With Horrifying Death Story)
But it is the date on this study that should really start to shake up the field of Egyptological sciences. Knowing how to mine, extract and work copper is not something a society spontaneously does. While there are indications of higher forms of technology during the times of Ancient Egypt, according to Ancient Origins, the question still remains: who taught these people to do these things? And when?
It feels like this study continues a historical theme put forward by writer Graham Hancock: stuff just keeps getting older.
