The Giza Oligodynamic Hypothesis (GOH) proposes one additional environmental layer during the intense construction of the Great Pyramid of Khufu and the Giza necropolis (c. 2589–2504 BCE). Large-scale use of arsenical copper tools generated a localised “chemical envelope” in the Khufu Harbour, with geoarchaeological sediment cores documenting copper and arsenic concentrations 5–6 times above background, peaking sharply during the Fourth Dynasty (Younes et al., 2024).This incidental copper contamination, concentrated in the semi-enclosed harbour basin linked to the now-extinct Ahramat Nile Branch (Ghoneim et al., 2024), may have produced modest oligodynamic antimicrobial effects in nearby water. Such effects could have modestly reduced acute waterborne pathogen risks for the large workforce. While chronic exposure carried toxicity risks, bioarchaeological evidence from the workers’ settlement at Heit el-Ghurab shows no signs of catastrophic epidemics.The hypothesis integrates recent geoarchaeological findings to suggest an unintentional ecological side-effect of documented Old Kingdom industrial activity. It remains speculative and invites further geochemical modelling, comparative studies, and bioarchaeological analysis. Author Note This preprint presents a speculative hypothesis developed by independent researcher Melissa Welton. It builds directly on published geoarchaeological data and explores one possible incidental environmental side-effect. The ideas are offered for open discussion and further testing; they do not represent the views of any institution.
Melissa Welton (Thu,) studied this question.