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| The Pyramids' Limestone Blocks |
Ancient engineers worked with simple tools but astonishing coordination. Limestone was quarried at nearby Giza and at Tura, while harder pink granite came from Aswan, nearly 900 kilometers to the south.
Workers carved blocks using copper chisels and dolerite pounders, prying each one free from bedrock.
The massive stones were then hauled to the Nile on sledges and loaded onto wooden barges for transport downstream.
Once ashore, vast teams of laborers—possibly tens of thousands—dragged the blocks up a series of sloped ramps lubricated with water or oil to reduce friction.
Recent archaeological finds, including ancient harbor remains at Wadi al-Jarf and the 4,600-year-old papyrus of Merer, reveal a highly organized system of supply chains, record-keeping, and manpower—an early example of state-directed engineering on a grand scale.
The result was not only an enduring monument to human ambition but also one of the most sophisticated construction feats of the ancient world.