Archaeologists in Egypt uncovered a 4,500-year-old harbor and a collection of papyrus texts, according to a press release from the Egypt State Information Service.
"These are the oldest papyri ever found in Egypt," said Mohamed Ibrahim, minister of state for Antiquities.
The French-Egyptian archaeological project unearthed the oldest commercial harbor, dating to the fourth King Khufu, or Cheops, dynasty in the Wadi Al-Jarf region.
And the harbor, constructed on the shore of the Red Sea and 112 miles south of Suez, is said to be one of the most vital commercial ports of its time because of the minerals, including copper, that were exported from the Sinai Peninsula.
Among the findings at the ancient harbor was a collection of vessel anchors carved in stone along with the discovery of different docks.
Archaeologists on the mission--from the French Institute for Archaeological Studies--also uncovered 40 papyri, detailing the daily life of Egyptians during the 27th year of King Khufu's reign.
The day-to-day activities of an official named Merrer, involved in building the Great Pyramid, were documented on one of the papyri found in the excavation site, according to NBC News.
"He mainly reported about his many trips to the Turah limestone quarry to fetch block for the building of the pyramid," said Pierre Tallet, the mission's director from the University of Paris-Sorbonne, as quoted by Discovery News.
"Although we will not learn anything new about the construction of the Cheops monument, this diary provides for the first time an insight on this matter."
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