# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/21 "2014-12-07T18:51:32Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > and many have a daycare center attached. ♬ _And for Pharaoh’s little kiddies I built all the pyramiddies…_ ♬ ---
**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:** [December 7, 2014, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/22 "2014-12-07T18:52:53Z")
Very old theories and explanations based on better evidence than an argument from ignorance like the OP does point to the use of ramps around the Pyramid as an explanation. New theories, based on new evidence, point at just the bottom level of the pyramids as having a ramp, most of the “levels” likely used an **internal** ramp and IMHO they used gravity as a way to pull the stones through the internal tunnels. Instead of just muscle to pull or push the stones they had a slopping artificial hill available as they did go up. > **[National Geographic](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/)** > > Explore National Geographic. A world leader in geography, cartography and exploration. Here is the video (scroll down) of the new theory and evidence found so far to support it from the National Geographic > **[National Geographic](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/)** > > Explore National Geographic. A world leader in geography, cartography and exploration. As I see it the bit that is missing is that what I picture needs less men to pull and push the stones, because they could had put counterweights on the side of the growing pyramid to pull the material up with less effort by using ropes connecting the counterweight to the stone, with most of the very hard work done only when the material reached the level that had no pulleys or cranes made yet. A system like that matches the explanations from Herodotus (450 B.C.) that proposed the use of small, wooden, cranes or levers to lift the blocks when he visited and investigated Egypt. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/23 "2014-12-07T18:53:17Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > Why did aliens build the pyramids To get to the other side. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/24 "2014-12-07T18:53:31Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > There does seem to be a certain element of racism or culture-ism (I can’t think of the right word) involved. Somehow it’s always brown people like the Egyptians who needed alien help to build their ancient monuments; no one seems to think that the Greeks or Romans needed alien help to build the Parthenon or the Colosseum. There’s a lot of woo alien stuff about Stongehenge too, and that’s in England. I’m amused the aliens came down with their vastly superior technology and moved some rocks around. Ooooh! Don’t throw your backs out, guys. ---
**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:** [December 7, 2014, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/25 "2014-12-07T18:55:12Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > There does seem to be a certain element of racism or culture-ism (I can’t think of the right word) involved. Somehow it’s always brown people like the Egyptians who needed alien help to build their ancient monuments; no one seems to think that the Greeks or Romans needed alien help to build the Parthenon or the Colosseum. Yeah, like those notorious brown people who had alien assistance building Stone Henge, right? 😛 BTW, the ancient aliens guy with the wild hair DOES think that the Romans and Greeks had alien assistance too. Oh, and Greeks are ‘brown’ as well…so are Italians for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/26 "2014-12-07T18:58:36Z")
> [@XT](#): > > BTW, the ancient aliens guy with the wild hair DOES think that the Romans and Greeks had alien assistance too. They _must_ have! How else could they have _concrete?_ Not only that, but their concrete has lasted a couple-thousand years! Name _one_ modern building whose concrete has lasted that long! ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/27 "2014-12-07T19:02:40Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Yeah, like those notorious brown people who had alien assistance building Stone Henge, right? 😛 They might not have been brown, but by God, they weren’t Anglo-Saxons, and that’s nearly the same thing! ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/28 "2014-12-07T19:07:21Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > As much as I am not a fan of organized religion I will say that churches serve far more purpose than as a tomb for one megalomaniac. If you remove the Masses they act as community centers, rent out space to small organizations (AA being popular) and many have a daycare center attached. They pyramids kept the tomb robbing industry active for generations. So it was wealth transfer of a kind. ---
**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:** [December 7, 2014, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/29 "2014-12-07T19:10:36Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Yeah, like those notorious brown people who had alien assistance building Stone Henge, right? 😛 > > BTW, the ancient aliens guy with the wild hair DOES think that the Romans and Greeks had alien assistance too. Oh, and Greeks are ‘brown’ as well…so are Italians for that matter. Well, they could also had been time travelers! Have you seen how Stonehenge looked when completed and whole? It was the symbol of what it is holy for the future civilizations… **The copyright symbol** … > **[Aedes Ars, New Stonehenge Model for Sale, Made in Spain!](https://clonehenge.com/2011/02/27/2925/)** > > photo from the aedes ars website, used with permission. We should have held out for a bribe! For the first time in our two-plus years of folly, a company contacted us in advance to announce the rel… (This post was © by Ed, for all time) ;)😃 ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/30 "2014-12-07T19:21:02Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Very old theories and explanations based on better evidence than an argument from ignorance like the OP does point to the use of ramps around the Pyramid as an explanation. > > New theories, based on new evidence, point at just the bottom level of the pyramids as having a ramp, most of the “levels” likely used an **internal** ramp and IMHO they used gravity as a way to pull the stones through the internal tunnels. Instead of just muscle to pull or push the stones they had a slopping artificial hill available as they did go up. > > [National Geographic](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/11/081114-pyramid-room_2.html) > > Here is the video (scroll down) of the new theory and evidence found so far to support it from the National Geographic > [National Geographic](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/11/081114-pyramid-room.html) > > As I see it the bit that is missing is that what I picture needs less men to pull and push the stones, because they could had put counterweights on the side of the growing pyramid to pull the material up with less effort by using ropes connecting the counterweight to the stone, with most of the very hard work done only when the material reached the level that had no pulleys or cranes made yet. > > A system like that matches the explanations from Herodotus (450 B.C.) that proposed the use of small, wooden, cranes or levers to lift the blocks when he visited and investigated Egypt. Thanks for this post, which actually answers the OP. Fascinating and plausible. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/31 "2014-12-07T19:46:24Z")
> [@XT](#): > > Yeah, like those notorious brown people who had alien assistance building Stone Henge, right? 😛 > > BTW, the ancient aliens guy with the wild hair DOES think that the Romans and Greeks had alien assistance too. Oh, and Greeks are ‘brown’ as well…so are Italians for that matter. It is amusing when the ‘ancient aliens’ crowd does try to claim more ‘modern’ targets like [Baalbek](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baalbek), which they only do so because there were some very big stones used. Theses are people who are amazed th the Romans were able to move a 300 ton block several hundred meters when they were able to move [huge numbers of heavy Egyptian Obelisks to Rome.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_obelisks_in_Rome#Ancient_Egyptian_obelisks) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/32 "2014-12-07T20:22:00Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Thanks for this post, which actually answers the OP. Reply no.1 answered the OP. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/33 "2014-12-07T22:19:54Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Knock it off. > > [/Moderating] Sorry. I think it was the all caps that got me. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/34 "2014-12-08T00:19:47Z")
Those ancient people were so smart. Of course they never built a million miles of freeways or airliners or space shuttles, but they were \*so smart! \* ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/35 "2014-12-08T05:03:51Z")
This is just such a bizarre premise. “Sure, they may not have had any advanced machinery, electronics, powered engines/motors, any fucking working knowledge of science, the scientific method, or the universe around them, but there’s no way we could replicate them dragging a bunch of big rocks around.” In fact, we can do it without even using power tools. Levers, pulleys, and ramps are all ancient technology. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/36 "2014-12-08T09:59:31Z")
So, has anyone determined that the Chrysler Building was actually erected in Manhattan? I think it landed there. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/37 "2014-12-08T11:06:01Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > So, has anyone determined that the Chrysler Building was actually erected in Manhattan? I think it landed there. How can you even doubt it? there’s mountains of evidence to determine that it’s at the very least an open question. The Chrysler building was seen for the first time, allegedly, in 1928. 1928. Have you ever seen a building from the dawn of the previous century? They were clunky squares made of brick and barely taller than a tree, not a gigantic steel structure. Do you even know of a person who worked there? Because to raise that you would need about a quarter of the population of the East coast, and people died before reaching forty back then, what with all the drinking and smoking. And yet nobody remembers a thing, to my knowledge. And how was all that steel transported? With horse carriages? And how many Chrysler buildings are there? I’ll tell you: one. Almost a century and nobody has been able to replicate the Chrysler. Open your eyes, people! ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/38 "2014-12-08T12:31:37Z")
If I might ask a more serious question- I had always assumed that the Pyramids were a shitload of stone blocks, all the way to the core. I’ve recently read something that the stone blocks are only on the outside, that within each layer of stones is bunch of rubble. Makes sense to me- put up a square of stones, fill the interior with rubble, build a ramp, put up a slightly smaller square of stones fill interior with rubble, and so on. But I don’t think this is truly known one way or the other. I don’t know much about ground penetrating radar, but is this something we could determine by this or other nondestructive testing? To me, the rubble interior idea makes sense because in squaring off the stone blocks you’re going to make a shitload of debris, why not fill the interior with it? ---
**Author:** ![CGav8r](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@CGav8r](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CGav8r)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/39 "2014-12-08T12:56:18Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > How can you even doubt it? there’s mountains of evidence to determine that it’s at the very least an open question. > > The Chrysler building was seen for the first time, allegedly, in 1928. 1928. Have you ever seen a building from the dawn of the previous century? They were clunky squares made of brick and barely taller than a tree, not a gigantic steel structure. > > Do you even know of a person who worked there? Because to raise that you would need about a quarter of the population of the East coast, and people died before reaching forty back then, what with all the drinking and smoking. And yet nobody remembers a thing, to my knowledge. > > And how was all that steel transported? With horse carriages? And how many Chrysler buildings are there? I’ll tell you: one. Almost a century and nobody has been able to replicate the Chrysler. Open your eyes, people! Excellent points - and how could the iron workers back then even afford to wear work clothes of that era? I’ve seen how much old fashioned leather boots, selvedge denim, and canvas jackets cost-they must have all had a trust fund! And the the wealthier people who would have financed such a building were all doing the Charleston and drinking bathtub gin and champagne at Jay Gatsby’s parties and would have been too hung over to get such a structure made. ---
**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:** [December 8, 2014, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559/40 "2014-12-08T14:55:49Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > If I might ask a more serious question- I had always assumed that the Pyramids were a shitload of stone blocks, all the way to the core. I’ve recently read something that the stone blocks are only on the outside, that within each layer of stones is bunch of rubble. Makes sense to me- put up a square of stones, fill the interior with rubble, build a ramp, put up a slightly smaller square of stones fill interior with rubble, and so on. But I don’t think this is truly known one way or the other. I don’t know much about ground penetrating radar, but is this something we could determine by this or other nondestructive testing? To me, the rubble interior idea makes sense because in squaring off the stone blocks you’re going to make a shitload of debris, why not fill the interior with it? I think that pyramids in the new world are rubble cored, but if you mean the Egyptian I don’t believe they are. They use different sized stones and, of course, they have granite interior chambers where the tombs are, but they aren’t rubble filled as far as I know. As for your question about GPR, yeah, I’m pretty sure that the technology has been used at the pyramids in Giza, since I believe they used them (along with small robots) to explore the famous shafts, as well as look for other entrances/passageways. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-were-the-pyramids-in-egypt-built/706559.md?page=3)