The Red Sea Scrolls: How Ancient Papyri Reveal the Secrets of the Pyramids

by Mark Lehner, Pierre Tallet

The inside story, told by excavators of the extraordinary discovery of the world’s oldest papyri, revealing how Egyptian 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, and combined with Mark Lehner’s research, changed what we thought we knew about the building of the Great Pyramid at Giza.


Here, for the first time, the world-renowned Egyptologists Tallet and Lehner give us the definitive account of this astounding discovery. The story begins with Tallet’s hunt for hieroglyphic rock inscriptions in the Sinai Peninsula and leads 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 harbor on the Red Sea. The translation of the papyri reveals how the stones of the Great Pyramid ended up in Giza. Combined with Lehner’s excavations of the harbor at the pyramid construction site 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 eyewitness testimony to the creation of the only remaining Wonder of the Ancient World.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Egypt, Archaeology, Ancient History, Science, Egyptology

467 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 11, 2022

Reviews

[Susan Paxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine being an Egyptologist, with a tattered papyrus scroll laid on the table before you to translate. Slowly, you work your way through the hieroglyphs, perhaps glancing at a dictionary now and then. "Day 22. Spends the night at Ro-She Khufu. In the morning sets sail from Ro-She Khufu, sails towards Akhet Khufu." You stop. You realize you're reading the logbook of a man whose work gang was delivering fine Tura limestone to a project the Egyptians called Akhet Khufu - in English, the Horizon of Khufu. The Great Pyramid.

Probably the most important discovery in Egyptology of this century so far was made by a team led by Pierre Tallet, Professor of Egyptology at the University of Paris-Sorbonne, at a small, temporary port facility used briefly during the 4th Dynasty on the west coast of the Red Sea at a place now called Wadi el-Jarf. Tucked in between stones that had once sealed a storage bay was a scatter of papyrus, the oldest ever found. They included spreadsheets and logs - including the log of a man named Merer, who supervised a work gang of 40 men who, for part of the time covered in the log, were working shipping the fine white casing stone to the Great Pyramid and the temples around it.

This amazing discovery enabled Tallet to not only explicate the workings of the Egyptian bureaucracy first developed by Pharaoh Sneferu and brought to perfection by his son and successor Khufu, but his work dovetailed almost perfectly with that of American Egyptologist Mark Lehner, who has been studying the Giza plateau for many years, tracking traces of ports, canals, and ramps that were used in the building of Khufu's unsurpassed pyramid. Merer's log enabled him to put names to what he was finding, and to explain how stone was delivered to the site.

All of this is explicated in great and fascinating detail in this lovely book written by both Tallet and Lehner, beautifully laid out and illustrated with photographs in color and black and white, as well as many useful diagrams. How the work gangs were organized and supplied, housed, and the many projects they were kept busy on, are clearly described. In addition, the pyramids of Sneferu are discussed in detail, giving a hint of what was going on before Khufu's project began, and Lehner explains how he suspects the pyramid was constructed, including the troublesome issue of the ramp or ramps needed.

While there has been much mention of Merer and his logbook on various TV documentaries, this book is highly recommended for a full understanding of this brilliant find.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is extremely interesting, but feels like a comprehensive journal article and not a book. Make sure you are into the process of archeology if this is one you pick up.

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't mind a technical book, but I would have expected a little more excitement over the amazing discovery. I learned lots about Egyptian admin and how the construction of the pyramids were a driver for social and organisational development. However, there was a lot of repetition within the text and the pictures with some pictures not relevant and some areas left without pictures where it might have helped. Good, but not brilliant

[Leena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great insight into the logistics of one part of building the great pyramid of giza.

I did find that things were repeated ALOT in different chapters that may have had different authors. But overall, it's an interesting read.

[Bruno Pascon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excelente livro para ajudar a desmistificar as teorias de que alienígenas construíram as pirâmides do Egito. Nada como a boa e velha ciência e a atividade investigativa da arqueologia para trazer fatos concretos do trabalho espetacular que os egípcios implementaram para levantar tais monumentos que transcendem a história da humanidade no planeta.

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 5 out of 5]

the wild Amason


Very successful insight into current Egyptological research

This book gives an excellent insight into several discoveries of the last two decades in Egypt, which at first glance did not generate as much excitement, but which together can be described as a “sesame open up” moment:

on the one hand, the discovery of larger worker settlements on the Giza plateau and remains of a harbor basin at the foot of the plateau as well as a ramp that leads from bottom to top to the upper pyramid district, by an excavation team led by Mark Lehner, who had been looking for a long time until then,

on the other hand, the discovery of various papyri in Wadi el-Jarf, a port on the Red Sea from the time of Cheops, by an excavation team led by Pierre Tallet; the papyri are log books of squads that travelled back and forth between Giza and the various quarries on the east side of the Nile as well as those on the Red Sea in the (presumably) last year of Cheops's reign for the purpose of procuring stones.

For the first time, they document the organizational structure behind pyramid construction and provide new insights into the technical implementation of the building.

These discoveries fill in some of the last remaining large gaps in the pyramid building puzzle to a large extent.

Therefore, although not so strongly present in the media (such as various discoveries in Sakkara or Heliopolis), they have rightly achieved the status of a sensation in Egyptology. After all, there are now various TV documentaries on the subject (which unfortunately until now have mostly been broadcast on niche channels; but they should be available in media libraries).

In terms of content, the book not only offers exciting and entertaining experience reports by the respective project managers of the discoveries on site and their reconstructions, which would have been enough in and of themselves, there are also excursions on the chronology and architecture of the pyramid construction as well as an updated theory on the Pyramid construction itself by means of a sophisticated system of port facilities directly on site and various ramps in front of and on the pyramid, etc.

As the title of the book suggests, the focus is on papyrus findings.

Not only is the story of the discovery reported, but all papyri are presented in high-resolution photography, in hieroglyphic transcription (each of which is somewhat small; it is best to use a magnifying glass) and in translation, followed by a detailed interpretation of the information received. Just that much for the content.

In addition to the text, which is also easy to read by laypeople (this applies at least to the English text), the book captivates above all with its countless photographs and illustrations, including many reconstructions of the situation at the time, which give the reader a very good idea of what it may have once been like (after the current state of knowledge, of course).

The book is primarily intended for laypeople, but specialists will also enjoy it, and the extensive bibliography in the appendix invites them (and all other readers as well) to delve deeper and deeper into this complex subject.

All in all, you can say: This book is a real asset for science and virtually a prime example of the generally understandable implementation of complicated scientific research for the general public.

Note: Until now, the book has only been published in French and English. It would be very much to hope that a German edition would also be produced.

M. Brose, Germany

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this book! Ancient Egyptian history is often interpreted through small bits of information gleaned from the most unlikely places, and the pieces of papyri that were discovered opened new doors. As archaeologists began to decipher the small pieces, the history and story of those who were working on the Great Pyramid were discovered.

This book was well done, drawing the reader into the pages as though they were along for the excavation, and the subsequent deciphering of the materials. I truly enjoyed reading through this book!
Egyptian history is among my favorite to study and read about. Reading about the Great Pyramid, the pharaoh who was building it, and the every day workers who were responsible for its creation was enjoyable. This book flows well, and keeps the readers engaged throughout.

[Jess | dapper.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not sure what to really say about this one content wise. It collects the data we know about the Red Sea scrolls in one place and presents it in a way that’s easy to understand. Basically, it’s exactly what it says it is.

The narrator was fantastic. The voice was absolutely perfect for this topic and it kept the topic light and fun while still informative.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audio copy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the audiobook ARC!

The Red Sea Scrolls is a fascinating account of some groundbreaking finds in the Egyptian desert, and the new light shed on the construction of the pyramids. Though dense and scholarly, I found the text to be quite enjoyable. Definitely not a casual read, but not daunting either.

[Gustav Knuttsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book a bit boring in some parts but it’s very important and interesting a must read for anyone who is interested in the old kingdom and pyramid building. I think the scrolls itself are one of the most important findings in recent years and very important evidence. Great stuff

[Kj Moodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great insight into real archeological processes and a fantastic find for our knowledge of ancient history and the Pyramids of Giza. No fantastical stories, just following the evidence.