The Egyptian Museum in Cairo has put on display the country’s oldest papyruses, which date back 4,500 years, detailing the daily life of the pyramid-builders.
The items are from the 4th Dynasty of King Khufu, or Cheops as he was also known, for whom the Great Pyramid of Giza was built as a tomb.
Egypt’s Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Anany told reporters on Thursday as the exhibition was unveiled that the papyruses were discovered in 2013 in the port of Wadi el-Jarf. The port is located 119 kilometers, or 74 miles, from the city of Suez.
El-Anany says “these are the oldest” papyruses in Egypt.
Museum chief Tarek Tawfiq says the papyruses depict the daily routine of the workers, who also transferred building material from the Red Sea port to Giza.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.