Zahi Hawass on archaeology: what the evidence says · JRE #2321
FACT CHECK // JRE #2321 // EXHIBIT LOG
EPISODE AIRED MAY 14, 2025 · THE JOE ROGAN EXPERIENCE
CLAIM CMRGC4VHSTATUS: PUBLISHED
SUBJECT: ARCHAEOLOGY
SUBJECT: ARCHAEOLOGY
RulingNeeds Context
Not a true/false call. Every claim is logged with its sources; read the exhibits below.
Now, a few years ago, a major discovery happened for the first time. It is the first time that we have written evidence about building the pyramid of Khufu. When did this happen? Three years ago. Really? It's called the Wadi Al-Jarf Papyri.
Zahi Hawass@ 23:28
►Watch on YouTubeJUMP TO 23:28What the evidence says 01 / RECORD
The core claim is correct: the Wadi al-Jarf Papyri (including the Diary of Merer) are the oldest inscribed papyri ever found and are the first contemporary written record connected to building the Great Pyramid of Khufu. However, the timeframe is off. A French-Egyptian mission led by Pierre Tallet discovered the papyri in 2013 (the first fragments found March 24, 2013, with the main cache days later), not three years before this 2025 episode. Relative to the episode, the discovery was roughly twelve years earlier, so Hawass's 'three years ago' figure is substantially inaccurate even though the identification of the find is sound.