Scientists have discovered remains of a massive catering-type operation in Egypt that fed more than 1,814 kilogrammes of meat everyday to the builders of the famous Giza pyramids.
Archaeologists found the ancient remains at a workers' town near the pyramids. The town is located about 400 metres south of the Sphinx, and was used to house workers building the pyramid of pharaoh Menkaure, the third and last pyramid on the Giza plateau.
The site is also known by its Arabic name, Heit el-Ghurab, and is sometimes called "the Lost City of the Pyramid Builders."
So far, researchers have discovered a nearby cemetery with bodies of pyramid builders; a corral with possible slaughter areas on the southern edge of workers' town; and piles of animal bones, LiveScience reported.
Based on animal bone findings, nutritional data, and other discoveries at this workers' town site, the archaeologists estimate that more than 1,814 kg of meat - from cattle, sheep and goats - were slaughtered every day, on average, to feed the pyramid builders.
"People were taken care of, and they were well fed when they were down there working, so there would have been an attractiveness to that," said Richard Redding, chief research officer at Ancient Egypt Research Associates (AERA), a group that has been excavating and studying the workers' town site for about 25 years.
At the workers' town, which was likely occupied for 35 years, researchers have discovered a plethora of animal bones.
Although the researchers are still unsure of the exact number of bones, Redding estimates he has identified about 25,000 sheep and goats, 8,000 cattle and 1,000 pig bones, he wrote in a paper published in the book "Proceedings of the 10th Meeting of the ICAZ Working Group 'Archaeozoology of southwest Asia and adjacent Areas.'"
"Needless to say, pyramid building is hard work. The workers would need at least 45g to 50g of protein a day," Redding said.
Half of this protein would likely come from fish, beans, lentils and other non-meat sources, while the other half would come from sheep, goat and cattle, he estimated.
Milk and cheese were probably not consumed due to transportation problems and the cattle's low milk yield during that time, Redding said.
Combining these requirements and other protein sources with the ratio of the bones (and the amount of meat and protein one can get from an animal), Redding determined about 11 cattle and 37 sheep or goats were consumed each day.
In order to maintain this level of slaughter, the ancient Egyptians would have needed a herd of 21,900 cattle and 54,750 sheep and goats just to keep up regular delivery to the Giza workers, Redding estimates.
