The Pyramids of Giza are a mysterious and marvelous feat of engineering.

And experts assert that the 4,500-year-old Red Sea Scrolls give an unprecedented look at who may have built these ancient wonders — and how.

In 2013, a groundbreaking discovery at Wadi al-Jarf on the Red Sea coast of Egypt unveiled a treasure trove of papyri, the oldest known to humanity. Among these ancient documents, dubbed the Red Sea Scrolls, was the diary of a man named Merer, an inspector leading a team of 200 workers during the construction of the Great Pyramid of Pharaoh Khufu around 4,500 years ago.

This diary offers a unique and vivid glimpse into the day-to-day efforts that contributed to one of the world’s greatest architectural wonders.

Merer’s records detail the meticulous process of transporting massive limestone blocks from the quarries at Tura to Giza via the Nile River.

Merer’s team worked tirelessly, their efforts fueled by rations of bread, meat, beer, and dates — an indication that these workers were skilled laborers, not enslaved individuals as some theories previously suggested.

The papyri also mention Ankhhaf, Khufu’s half-brother and the pyramid’s chief architect, at long last linking a name to the creator of this monumental project.

The documents also highlight the importance of Wadi al-Jarf as a bustling port that supplied copper tools and other materials essential for pyramid construction.

This discovery not only reshapes our understanding of how the pyramids were built but also offers a rare, firsthand account of the people who made it possible