The Heit el-Ghurab site in 1991 at the beginning of excavation.

Ancient Egypt Research Associates (AERA)

Project Type Research Project

Status Active

Field Domain Archaeology & Fieldwork

Regions Egypt

Overview

Ancient Egypt Research Associates (AERA) investigates the people, communities, and systems behind the construction of the Giza pyramids and Sphinx. Since 1984, its multidisciplinary teams have excavated and studied sites across the Giza Plateau, including the “Lost City of the Pyramids,” revealing how workers lived, how resources were organized, and how monumental building shaped the development of the Egyptian state. Alongside excavation, laboratory research, and publication, AERA trains Egyptian archaeologists and heritage professionals, helping to build capacity for the future study and preservation of Egypt’s archaeological heritage.

AERA Field School students excavating at the Heit el-Ghurab site in 2026.

Recent AERA excavations in the large silo court of the Royal Administrative Building.

AERA excavations in the Khentkawes Town basin.

Material culture specialists work in the MoTA-AERA field lab.

10K+

Drawings

80K+

Finds

120K+

Photos

400+

Field School Students

Visit the AERA Website

Ancient Egypt Research Associates History and Mission

Since 1984, Ancient Egypt Research Associates (AERA) has brought together archaeologists and specialists from around the world to address questions regarding the origin, nature, and development of the pyramids and the Egyptian state. We seek our answers on the Giza Plateau—at our flagship site, the “Lost City of the Pyramids” (also called Heit el-Ghurab, or HeG), as well as the Great Pyramid, Sphinx, and communities associated with the tombs of Pharaoh Menkaure and Queen Khentkawes. After more than three decades of field and laboratory work, we have constructed a nuanced interpretation of how the Egyptians supplied and transported raw goods and materials to build the pyramids and maintain the HeG settlement—the large urban center that housed the pyramid-builders and administration, dating to the reigns of Menkaure and Khafre, builders of the third and second pyramids, respectively.

Excavation, analysis, publication, and educational outreach stand as pillars of our mission in Egypt. Through multidisciplinary analysis, rigorous archaeological fieldwork, and laboratory science, we open windows on the everyday lives of Egyptians who built and administered the Giza Pyramids and Sphinx during the 4th and 5th Dynasties (ca. 2543–2306 BC) of the Old Kingdom. In 2005, with the sponsorship of the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), we began an archaeological training program for Inspectors in Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities. We continue to embed this important outreach within our core mission and research program.

AERA is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, nonprofit research organization located in Boston and Giza, registered in Egypt as a foreign NGO. AERA-Egypt maintains the AERA-Egypt Center in Giza—a year-round base for our team, with library, archives, and meeting facilities. Our scientific and educational missions are supported by philanthropic individuals, foundations, and USAID government funding, and in collaboration with the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), Aarhus University in Denmark, and Charles University in Prague.