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The secrets behind the construction of the oldest and only survivor of the Seven Wonders of the World have been locked within its limestone and granite walls for centuries.

But now archaeologists believe they have finally uncovered how Egyptians were able to lug millions of 2.5 ton blocks 500 miles to create the Great Pyramid of Giza .

Built as a tomb for Pharaoh Khufu in about 2,600BC over 20 years, the 481ft tall structure was the largest of all the pyramids and was, until the Middle Ages, the tallest man-made construction on Earth.

Historians have long argued how 800 tonnes of material was transported some 533 miles to Giza from Aswan every day by thousands of skilled workers.

Now the discovery of an ancient papyrus, a ceremonial boat, and a system of waterworks could finally put an end to the debate.

(Image: Channel 4) (Image: Channel 4)

New evidence reveals thousands of labourers transported 170,000 tonnes of limestone along the Nile in wooden boats, held together by ropes, through a specially constructed system of canals, reports the Mail on Sunday .

The ancient scroll was discovered in the seaport Wadi Al-Jarf and it has given a new insight into how boats and water were used in the pyramid’s construction.

Written by an overseer named Merer, it reveals some 2.3 million blocks were ferried to an inland port built just yards away from the base of the pyramid.

Mercer was believed to have been in charge of a team of 40 workmen and the scroll is the only firsthand account on record of how the pyramids were built.

(Image: BBC)

It describes in detail how the limestone casing stones were shipped downstream from Tura to Giza.

Archaeologist Mark Lehner, an Eygptologist, has also discovered a lost waterway underneath the plateau the pyramid sits upon.

(Image: Channel 4)

"We've outlined the central canal basin, which we think was the primary delivery area to the foot of the Giza Plateau," he said.

The new discoveries were revealed in Channel 4 documentary Egypt’s Great Pyramid: The New Evidence last night.

The documentary included another team of archaeologists who unearthed a ceremonial vessel designed for Khufu to command in the afterlife and gave new insights into the construction of boats at the time.

A team of specialists restored the wooden structure before scanning them with a 3D laser to work out how they were assembled.

The archaeologists discovered that the planks of wood were sewn together with loops of rope.

Channel 4's Egypt's Great Pyramid: The New Evidence can be watched on catch up on All 4.