Archaeologists have long wondered why the ancient Egyptians built most of their pyramids on what is now a narrow, inhospitable strip of desert.
They may finally have an answer after scientists uncovered evidence that the pharaohs’ tombs originally sat next to a 40-mile branch of the Nile that vanished centuries ago but would once have been a crucial artery for commerce, culture and building materials.
The former waterway is now buried but was found using satellite images, geophysical surveys and the discovery of buried river sediment. When the construction of the pyramids began about 4,700 years ago it would have run parallel but to the west of the current course of the Nile. It is likely to have been used to bring in materials and