The inside story told by the archaeological detectives themselves of the extraordinary
discovery of the world's oldest papyri - revealing how King Khufu's men built the Great Pyramid
at Giza. Pierre Tallet's discovery of the Red Sea Scrolls - the world's oldest surviving
written documents - in 2013 was one of the most remarkable moments in the history of
Egyptology. These papyri written some 4 600 years ago combined with Mark Lehner's research
and theories change what we thought we knew about the building of the Great Pyramid at Giza.
Here for the first time Tallet and Lehner together give us the definitive account of this
astounding discovery. The story begins with Tallet's hunt for hieroglyphic rock inscriptions in
the Sinai Peninsula leading up to the discovery of the papyri - the diary of Inspector Merer
who oversaw workers in the reign of Pharaoh Khufu - in Wadi el-Jarf the site of an ancient
harbour on the Red Sea. The translation of the papyri reveals for the first time exactly how
the stones of the Great Pyramid were transported to Giza. Combined with Lehner's excavations of
the recently unearthed harbour the Red Sea Papyri have greatly advanced our understanding of
how the ancient Egyptians were able to build monuments that survive to this day. Tallet and
Lehner narrate this thrilling discovery and explore how the building of the pyramids helped
create a unified state propelling Egyptian civilization forward. This lavishly illustrated
book captures the excitement and significance of these seminal findings conveying above all
how astonishing it is to discover a contemporary eye-witness testimony to the creation of the
only remaining Wonder of the Ancient World. With over 200 illustrations
