Archaeologists uncovered 5,000-year-old tombs containing signs of surprisingly advanced construction (Image: Getty)
Ancient Egyptian builders may have developed advanced construction techniques centuries before the world-famous pyramids of Giza were built, according to a major archaeological discovery near the River Nile.
Researchers excavating a 5,000-year-old burial site on the Nile’s eastern bank have uncovered two tombs featuring architectural designs that appear to anticipate methods later used in Egypt’s monumental pyramid construction.
The tombs contain walls that are wider at the base and gradually become narrower towards the top, a design that would have increased their stability.
Similar engineering principles were later used on a much larger scale in Egypt’s step pyramids and the great pyramids of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure.
The remarkable structures were discovered at Jabal al-Tayr in Egypt’s Minya Governorate, an area where people were buried over thousands of years.
Archaeologists also found evidence of sophisticated stone-cutting techniques, along with huge wooden supports built into the tombs, with some extending along the full length of the walls.
Researchers said the findings offer a rare insight into the experimentation that took place before Egypt’s great stone pyramids emerged, as builders transformed burial sites into monuments intended to endure for millennia.
The discovery could reshape understanding of ancient Egyptian architecture by suggesting that advanced engineering methods associated with pyramid construction developed earlier and spread more widely than previously thought.
Dr Hisham El-Leithy, secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, said early analysis had revealed similarities between the newly discovered structures and the tomb of King Den, one of the most powerful rulers of Egypt’s First Dynasty.
The First Dynasty was the earliest line of rulers of a unified ancient Egypt, beginning around 3100 BC after Upper and Lower Egypt were brought together under a single kingdom, reports the Daily Mail.
It marked the start of ancient Egypt as an organised state, with a central government, royal burial customs and major developments in writing, engineering and architecture. King Den was among its most influential rulers.
El-Leithy described the first tomb as an exceptional discovery with a unique design, while saying the second tomb had a similar layout and remained remarkably well preserved.
Egypt’s minister of tourism and antiquities, Sherif Fathy, said the structures could help experts understand how burial architecture changed throughout ancient Egyptian history.
Archaeologists also uncovered oxidation marks on stone blocks that may have been created as workers cut and prepared the material, as well as wooden supports used to strengthen the walls.
A second tomb located further south was found in a much better state of preservation, allowing researchers to study its original design in greater detail.
Ancient Egyptian history rewritten as new clues reveal advanced technology (Image: Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)
The team said the discoveries provide a rare glimpse into the architectural experiments that came before Egypt’s great stone pyramids, when builders began creating burial monuments designed to survive for thousands of years.
The site also contained part of a cemetery dating from before Egypt became a unified kingdom.
Several individuals had been buried in curled positions and wrapped in woven plant mats, alongside black-topped pottery from the Naqada II and Naqada III periods.
Naqada II and Naqada III were prehistoric phases of Egyptian civilisation that existed before the country was united under its first pharaohs.
Researchers also uncovered individual and mass burials from Egypt’s Late Period, with some remains placed inside wooden coffins, fragments of which survived despite extensive decay.
The discoveries suggest Jabal al-Tayr remained a significant burial ground across multiple eras of ancient Egyptian history.