The presence of toxic copper also indicates a thriving tool-making industry.
Moreover, the new research reveals that industrial pollution has a deeper history than is typically recognized.
The harbor sat alongside a tributary of the Nile Riverthat no longer exists.
Soil drilled near the Giza necropolis had levels of copper far higher than what’s natural.© Vincent Brown via Flickr
The contamination peaked 750 years later, before ultimately petering out around 1000 BCE.
According to the researchers, the coppers presence is likely a sign of a thriving tool making industry.
These tools would have been essential for the construction of the pyramid complex.
Copper pollution in the environment can have some awful effects on both human and animal life.
Long term exposure can have even more devastating effects, including kidney and liver damage.
It also showed that residents of the area were resilient.
Yet work on Giza and other projects continued.
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