# How were the pyramids in Egypt built? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 7, 2014, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559 "2014-12-07T10:40:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 123
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/2442 "2015-06-01T22:20:44Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Well, the [limestone quarries](http://www.cheops-pyramide.ch/khufu-pyramid/stone-quarries.html) are still there and visible (still stones roughed out in them for that matter that were never used), however, perhaps what the Egyptians REALLY did was to use the cold geyser to mix a really huge batch of limestone concrete where the quarries are and then cut them out and move them via a homunculus powered pleiades red shifted through piezo-electric dark matter crystals. All right, XT. That is enough. This is The Straight Dope. Don’t go making up stuff. The homunculus provided only guidance, not propulsion. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/2443 "2015-06-01T22:59:17Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > All right, XT. That is enough. This is The Straight Dope. Don’t go making up stuff. The homunculus provided only guidance, not propulsion. My apologies…it’s always been a pet theory of mine that they provided both, plus plenty of water for the dead horses to drink, but I concede freely that this is based on my gut (the parasites in there are VERY smart) and I don’t have a sight for it (nor a site or cite either). ---
**Author:** ![ufel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@ufel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ufel)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/2444 "2015-06-02T00:04:16Z")
employing re-usable wooden “forms”, but I"m not and they weren’t, either. The quarries were just for the outside, facing stones, guys. They probably abandoned the idea of transporting the large blocks after trying it. which is why we have found the remains of such failure. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/2445 "2015-06-02T00:16:31Z")
Allow me to second what Silenus said on another thread: > [@why does our military not use fmj 223 ammo?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-our-military-not-use-fmj-223-ammo/721381/13): > > I feel no need to respond to someone who will not be here by Friday. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/2446 "2015-06-02T00:33:57Z")
> [@cladking](#): > > But ya’ still can’t make him drink. 😉 Naw…the real issue is you can’t make him THINK. [QUOTE=ufel] employing re-usable wooden “forms”, but I"m not and they weren’t, either. The quarries were just for the outside, facing stones, guys. They probably abandoned the idea of transporting the large blocks after trying it. which is why we have found the remains of such failure. [/QUOTE] _sigh_ No, they weren’t. The limestone quarries are still there and there are still posters trying to throw people down them, though I understand it’s a Banner offense to attempt it (you turn into a raging hulk monster). There were separate quarries for the limestone casing stones as well as still other quarries for the granite stones for the inner tomb, both of which were much more difficult to move than the softer, lighter stones that make up the bulk of the pyramids. . ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/2447 "2015-06-02T00:53:45Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > No, they weren’t. The majority were quarried nearby, although some were transported from a considerable distance. And they did a sub-optimal job of chopping them out, and THEN made up the difference with gobs of mortar at the worksite. A pretty classic human half-assed job with the core, with the only quality work where it can be seen by the client. I don’t think we needed aliens to teach us that one. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/2448 "2015-06-02T01:03:45Z")
> [@ufel](#): > > \*\*maybe YOU are too stupid to cast concrete in place \*\* > > employing re-usable wooden “forms”, but I"m not and they weren’t, either. The quarries were just for the outside, facing stones, guys. They probably abandoned the idea of transporting the large blocks after trying it. which is why we have found the remains of such failure. ufel, Posters are not allowed to directly insult other posters on the SDMB outside of the BBQ Pit. I’m giving you a warning for this. Accrue enough warnings and you could find your posting privileges suspended or revoked altogether. Please don’t let that happen. As for the rest of you? I’m beginning to think this thread serves no further purpose. If it carries on as it has I will surely close it. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/2449 "2015-06-02T01:05:03Z")
> [@ufel](#): > > employing re-usable wooden “forms”, but I"m not and they weren’t, either. The quarries were just for the outside, facing stones, guys. They probably abandoned the idea of transporting the large blocks after trying it. which is why we have found the remains of such failure. Can you save us some time and give us the general category of your pyramid building system? Is it aliens, lost technology, geysers, ramps, balloons, machines, something like that? Do you have some kind of pictures, diagrams, links to sites explaining this? Can you explain how they made concrete? Can you explain how to make concrete? I don’t mean mixing it with modern supplies, I mean starting with rocks how do you get concrete now, and how did the Egyptians do it? ---
**Author:** ![cladking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@cladking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cladking)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/2450 "2015-06-02T01:41:59Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > As for the rest of you? I’m beginning to think this thread serves no further purpose. If it carries on as it has I will surely close it. I’m sure everyone has guessed I’m hardly swayed by any of the counterarguments to date. I’ve not been posting to the thread because I have come to believe I have to be able to convey the entire idea at once and because I believe results for the “curvature” issue may be pending. Perhaps an entire thread may be the entire idea at once? There are very attractive aspects to the geopolymer theory but it has suffered some severe evidentiary blows in the last couple years. There are, however, a few stones that do \*appear \* to be poured and I still wonder if the “mortar” on lower level might be travertine. It would be far easier to lift concrete than to drag stones up ramps. ---
**Author:** ![cladking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@cladking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cladking)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/2451 "2015-06-02T01:44:25Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > And they did a sub-optimal job of chopping them out, and THEN made up the difference with gobs of mortar at the worksite. A pretty classic human half-assed job with the core, with the only quality work where it can be seen by the client. I don’t think we needed aliens to teach us that one. They also put a lot of debris into the gaps between stones. This would serve to lighten the pyramid and more able to withstand earthquake damage. ---
**Author:** ![cladking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@cladking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cladking)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/2452 "2015-06-02T01:49:52Z")
> [@ufel](#): > > Remember, this job had to be done in ONE man’s lifetime. Nobody finished another man’s pyramid. This is conjecture. It is also illogical since there are no nearly completed pyramids. It would be impossible to know how long a king would rule. As construction went on the king aged and his probability of death increased. Yet there are no half finished or nearly finished pyramids. There is no reason to believe any of these were tombs at all other than circumstantial evidence. There is no direct evidence any great pyramid was a tomb. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/2453 "2015-06-02T02:10:52Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > As for the rest of you? I’m beginning to think this thread serves no further purpose. If it carries on as it has I will surely close it. It took you 2400 posts to figure that out? :dubious: > [@cladking](#): > > They also put a lot of debris into the gaps between stones. This would serve to lighten the pyramid and more able to withstand earthquake damage. I was ever so disappointed when I learned that the 3 meters thick walls of old castles were not solid stone but just a cladding of stone on two sides, with the filler being dirt, rocks, or any other crap they had laying around. OTOH, that would dampen the shock wave caused by big rocks getting chunked at it. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/2454 "2015-06-02T02:27:29Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > ufel, > > Posters are not allowed to directly insult other posters on the SDMB outside of the BBQ Pit. I’m giving you a warning for this. Accrue enough warnings and you could find your posting privileges suspended or revoked altogether. Please don’t let that happen. > > As for the rest of you? I’m beginning to think this thread serves no further purpose. If it carries on as it has I will surely close it. Oh, by all means try. Zombie threads are a dime a dozen, but this thread is a _vampire_. No matter how many times you stab it, It. Will. Not. Die. ---
**Author:** ![cladking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@cladking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cladking)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/2455 "2015-06-02T02:33:48Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Oh, by all means try. Zombie threads are a dime a dozen, but this thread is a _vampire_. No matter how many times you stab it, It. Will. Not. Die. It’s a mummy thread. No mummy (or daddy) will rest in peace until we quit calling them bumpkins. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/2456 "2015-06-02T03:14:08Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Oh, by all means try. Zombie threads are a dime a dozen, but this thread is a _vampire_. No matter how many times you stab it, It. Will. Not. Die. Since he does think that ancient Egyptians were weaklings under the sun I would not be surprised that he thinks that vampires did it. The leader must be that king that ruled for 400 years but **cladking** always forgets what name it had. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/2457 "2015-06-02T03:27:36Z")
> [@cladking](#): > > It’s a mummy thread. > > No mummy (or daddy) will rest in peace until we quit calling them bumpkins. This would be mildly amusing if you were not the only one in the thread who was calling them bumpkins. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/2458 "2015-06-02T04:07:29Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Since he does think that ancient Egyptians were weaklings under the sun I would not be surprised that he thinks that vampires did it. > > The leader must be that king that ruled for 400 years but **cladking** always forgets what name it had. 🙂 The vampire did it…in the mastaba…with a geyser. ---
**Author:** ![Theturkeydidit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e19b73/32.png) [@Theturkeydidit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theturkeydidit)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/2459 "2015-06-02T23:12:45Z")
They were built by humans but guided by Aliens. They Ancient Egyptian society was a far more advanced society then what we have today. 1000% The Pyramids provided electricity as well. You can’t mess with Ancient Egypt. No way jose! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/2460 "2015-06-03T00:14:06Z")
> [@Theturkeydidit](#): > > You can’t mess with Ancient Egypt. No way jose! 😉 The Sea Peoples did. The Hittites did. The Nubians did. The Libyans did. The Hyksos did… ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/2461 "2015-06-03T00:52:39Z")
That’s enough. Let’s not let this happen again anytime soon. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559.md?page=122)