Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Ancient Papyrus from the Egyptian port on the Red Sea

"Archaeologists have stumbled upon what is thought to be the world's oldest port. The harbour, discovered on the Red Sea coast, is believed to date back 4,500 years, to the days of the Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops) in the Fourth Dynasty. Teams believe it was once of one of the most important commercial ports of ancient Egypt, and would have been used for the export copper and other minerals from the Sinai Peninsula." "They includes details of the arrangements for getting bread and beer to the workers heading out from the port. One tells of an official named Merrer, who was involved in building the Great Pyramid of Giza." Note the style and compare to Fac. 2 from the PoGP.