An ancient road constructed from limestone topped with basalt and petrified wood extends from a basalt quarry in Faiyum toward the ancient lake shore. The petrified wood logs date to the Middle Eocene, approximately 40 million years old. The road descends steeply from the quarry area to the lake level and was likely used to transport basalt during high lake periods around 7-8 thousand years ago. The road is preserved in sections but disappears in others due to erosion and flood damage. A nearby petrified forest contains hundreds of massive logs stripped of bark and branches.
Ancient road of petrified wood and basalt discovered in Faiyum
Site mentioned
📍 Al-Fayyum / Fayyum / Faiyum / Medinet el-Fayum / Shedet / Chedet / Crialon / Krokodilopolis🌍 Show on the globe
Key facts
- Ancient road constructed from limestone base topped with basalt and petrified wood
- Road extends from basalt quarry in Faiyum toward ancient lake shore
- Petrified wood logs are Middle Eocene, approximately 40 million years old
- Road preserved in sections, disappears in others due to erosion and flood damage
- Road descends steeply from quarry area to lake level
- May represent route for transporting basalt during high lake periods (7-8 thousand years ago)
- Petrified forest nearby contains hundreds of massive logs stripped of bark and branches
Sources
World's Oldest Paved Road Found in Egyptnytimes.com
Egyptian stone quarries have identified a seven-and-half-mile stretch of road covered with slabs of sandstone and limestone and even some logs ...
Mineralogy of Oligocene fossil wood, bone and associated ...scup.com
by A Salama · 2023 · Cited by 5 — The locality is popularly known as Maadi Petrified Forest, Fossilized wood occurs in the form of trunks that are up to 28 m long and more. The ...
The world's 'oldest' road that's nearly 5000 years old and ...express.co.uk
The road in question is the Lake Moeris Quarry Road, in Egypt's Faiyum District, which is thought to be the oldest surviving paved road in ...
Fayoum Road.isida-project.ucoz.com
The famous Fayoum "Basalt Road" is now strongly damaged by the time and nature. ... These artifacts are the petrified woods, the remnants of the sandstone and ...
Ancient road of petrified wood and basalt discovered in ...ancientnerds.com
An ancient road constructed from limestone topped with basalt and petrified wood extends from a basalt quarry in Faiyum toward the ancient lake ...
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