Copper and arsenic contamination of the Giza pyramids' soil dating back to their construction

An international study has reconstructed the environment of the Giza plateau, home to the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure.


Unlike typical archaeological research, this study employed geomorphological, paleoecological, and geochemical methods to analyze samples from the site. These analyses revealed copper and arsenic contamination over 5,000 years old, linked to the use of tools during the construction of the necropolis.

This discovery was made possible through geochemical analyses conducted on a sediment core drilled at the foot of the pyramids, in a now-vanished branch of the Nile. This branch, characterized through geophysical and geomorphological surveys published by the same team, once facilitated the transport of construction materials.

The different phases of the development of the Giza necropolis can thus be chemically characterized from the Predynastic period to the New Kingdom, with particular focus on the construction of the pyramids and the Sphinx. This study supports archaeological findings and helps clarify uncertainties regarding the construction dates of pharaonic tombs, particularly during the first dynasty, over 3,000 years BC.

These efforts align seamlessly with prior archaeological discoveries and provide original data that open new research perspectives on the Nile Valley necropolises using independent and complementary tracers to 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.