Archaeologists Discover The Oldest Harbor Ever In Egypt

When it comes to archaeology one of the most exciting places to excavate and search for ancient artifacts is Egypt. Archaeologists have announced that they have discovered the oldest harbor ever uncovered in Egypt along with the oldest papyrus ever found. The remnants from an ancient harbor date back 4500 years and was discovered in Wadi-Jarf.

The announcement of the discovery was made by the Egyptian State Information Service. According to the service, a team of French and Egyptian archaeologists discovered the ancient harbor. The archaeologists also found a few anchors made from carved stone, storage jars, fragments of rope, and pieces of pottery.

Wadi al-Jarf is the present name for a location on the Red Sea coast that is the site of the oldest known seaport on the planet. This port dates all the way back to the fourth dynasty of Egypt. The ancient warf and other structures are located 112 miles south of Suez.

The archaeologists dated the ruins to the reign of Pharaoh Khufu. Khufu is an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh who ruled in the fourth dynasty of the old Kingdom around 2580 BC. One of the papyrus scrolls discovered by the archaeologists include some interesting details on the daily activities of an Egyptian official called Merrer. This particular official was leading the construction of the Great Pyramid. The archaeologists say that the papyrus talks about the officials many trips to the limestone quarry for blocks of limestone and provides insight into the day-to-day operations of building the massive structure.

[via HNGN]