# So how were the pyramids built??
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 18, 2002, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558 "2002-12-18T15:19:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Jukeball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jukeball)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2002, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/1 "2002-12-18T15:19:34Z")
I’ve just been reading chariots of the gods (a absolute must read)
the author mentions the way in which it was feasibly impossible for them to built.
1. They could not get wood (for rollers , scaffolding etc)from the palms trees as they provided dates
2. If the wood was imported it could only be brought by transporttion on the nile . Horses and carts did not exist at this time
3. One of the pyramids had 2600000 stones averaging between 5 - 12 tonnes. If they could lay around 10 stone in a day it would take them 664 yrs
4. The egyptins did not make any progress in a 1000 yrs of pyramid building , in fact later pyramids are less well built than the previous ones.
5. How did they mange to dig downwards when thet had no torches , no blackenigs of the torches have been found or eveidence that the blackenings have been scrubbed off.
6. Where did all the food come from for the workers
7. How did the egyptians suddently arise with splendid houses , sculptures , pyramids etc with no pre history
8. The pyramid of cheopps divides the continent and the ocean into 2 halves!
9. the area of the pyramid divided by twice it height give TT
So was were they built?? And how did they get the knowledge . The author further goes on to say that some of the pyramids with the current tech would not be possible to build.
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### Author:  [@smam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smam)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2002, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/2 "2002-12-18T15:24:02Z")
> [@](#):
>
> 1. If the wood was imported it could only be brought by transporttion on the nile . Horses and carts did not exist at this time
Hmmmn, so when were horses really invented then, and by who?
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### Author:  [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2002, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/3 "2002-12-18T15:24:11Z")
[http://www.skepdic.com/vondanik.html](http://www.skepdic.com/vondanik.html)
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### Author:  [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2002, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/4 "2002-12-18T15:30:09Z")
Impossible for the Pyramids to be built? Hardly.
I saw a thing on (I think) The Discovery Channel where some people built a mini pyramid using only what they felt was available at the time the Pyramids were built. Granted the size was considerably smaller but they showed it could be done. It was hard as hell but they managed.
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### Author:  [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2002, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/5 "2002-12-18T15:36:24Z")
I’ve always found it amusing when people on “those” shows say with a straight face “There’s no way the Eqyptians could have done this with their technology”, when sitting right over their shoulder is a 2 million ton piece of evidence that says “Ummm…yes they could’ve. In fact, they did”
Don’t underestimate what hundreds of thousands of motivated people (current evidence shows that many or even most of the workers were not slaves) can do over a period of several decades.
I’m by no means an Egyptologist, but suffice it to say that while not every last detail is known, it’s pretty well established how the basics were done. Check out the web, there’s lots of info
[Here’s some to get you started](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22how+were+the+pyramids+built%22)
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2002, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/6 "2002-12-18T15:37:34Z")
[skeptic hat on]
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Jukeball \*
> \*\*I’ve just been reading chariots of the gods (a absolute must read)
\*\*The author is a proven liar…
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*the author mentions the way in which it was feasibly impossible for them to built.
\*\*We can’t explain some little details, so the only logical conclusion is that it must have been aliens?
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*1. They could not get wood (for rollers , scaffolding etc)from the palms trees as they provided dates
\*\*Palms are not the only trees that grow in the region
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*2. If the wood was imported it could only be brought by transporttion on the nile . Horses and carts did not exist at this time
\*\*There’s a big river (called the Nile) nearby, very handy for moving things about.
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*3. One of the pyramids had 2600000 stones averaging between 5 - 12 tonnes. If they could lay around 10 stone in a day it would take them 664 yrs
\*\*Given enough manpower, there’s no reason why a ‘production line’ process couldn’t achieve placement at a much higher rate, anyway, the interior structure of the pyramids is much less carefully constructed than the bits that were intended to show on the outside.
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*4. The egyptins did not make any progress in a 1000 yrs of pyramid building , in fact later pyramids are less well built than the previous ones.
\*\*Ever heard the expression “they don’t make 'em like they used to” ?
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*5. How did they mange to dig downwards when thet had no torches , no blackenigs of the torches have been found or eveidence that the blackenings have been scrubbed off.
\*\*They didn’t ‘dig’ out the passages inside the pyramids, they constructed them by leaving voids as the layers were added.
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*6. Where did all the food come from for the workers
\*\*Shipped in along the nile; it’s quite a fertile region.
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*7. How did the egyptians suddently arise with splendid houses , sculptures , pyramids etc with no pre history
\*\*No prehistory? (reputable)cite please?
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*8. The pyramid of cheopps divides the continent and the ocean into 2 halves!
> 9. the area of the pyramid divided by twice it height give TT
\*\*You’ll have to explain what these are supposed to mean…
> [@](#):
>
> \*\*So was were they built?? And how did they get the knowledge . The author further goes on to say that some of the pyramids with the current tech would not be possible to build. \*\*
Given that the author is a proven liar and widely held to be a complete nutcase, a better question might be “why should we listen to _anything_ he says?”
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### Author:  [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2002, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/7 "2002-12-18T15:57:13Z")
Spledidly.
Here is the [transcript](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/1915mpyramid.html) of an excellent episode of _Nova_ titled “This Old Pyramid,” in which the construction of the pyramids was investigated. Very good ignorance-fighting stuff. Get the [video](http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/shop/products/wgw278.html) if you can. It’s great!
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### Author:  [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2002, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/8 "2002-12-18T15:58:37Z")
Sple **n** didly, that is.
:o
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2002, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/9 "2002-12-18T16:15:04Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Jukeball \*
> **9. the area of the pyramid divided by twice it height give TT**
Just a minute! - ratio of a linear measure against a measure of area?!? What kind of nonsense is that?
Suppose we have a pyramid that is 100 metres along the sides and 75 metres tall:
The area of the base is 100_100 = 10,000 sq m
10,000/(75_2) = **66.66…**
(hold that number in memory, if you would)
let’s take the same pyramid and measure it in feet:
100 metres = 328.08399 Feet, so the base is 107639 sq feet in area
75 meters = 246.062992 Feet
107639/(2\*246.062992) = **437.449**
Not the same ratio!!! - this is nothing more than a mathematical parlor trick - one merely needs to carefully choose the unit of measure to yield the desired result!
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### Author:  [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2002, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/10 "2002-12-18T16:16:06Z")
The bottom line is, you can get a lot accomplished if you don’t have television.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2002, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/11 "2002-12-18T16:17:33Z")
Oops, that last line of calculation should be:
107639/(2\*246.062992) = **218.717**
-a different result, but my point still stands.
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### Author:  [@andy\_fl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andy_fl)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2002, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/12 "2002-12-18T16:32:14Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Jukeball \*
> **3. One of the pyramids had 2600000 stones averaging between 5 - 12 tonnes. If they could lay around 10 stone in a day it would take them 664 yrs**
I’ve been to the [Coral Castle](http://www.labyrinthina.com/coral.htm) near Miami. Among other things a single guy here had liften and carved stones weighing few tons to make his castle. And he did it in a few years too with elementary tools.
I heard some speculation as to the method used by him would be similar to that used by egyptians.
The greatest feat I found there (from an engineer’s standpoint) is that he found the exact axis of gravity for a very large stone and the stone rests and rotates on that axis.
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### Author:  [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2002, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/13 "2002-12-18T16:38:20Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Jukeball \*
> \*\*I’ve just been reading chariots of the gods (a absolute must read) \*\*
I read this book when I was in high school and found it fascinating. Then I went to college and grew up. And now I believe in science.
If space aliens were going to instruct the ancients in how to build things, I suspect that they would have left behind something more advanced than a stone monument. A helluva stone monument, but still a stone monument. Despite the mystery about the techniques, I know of no examples of anachronistic technology from ancient times.
I must add, though, that I find it odd that so many people bend over backwards to discredit von Däniken. This reminds me of an ad I saw for Linn turntables (a long time ago). They included a long list (let’s say 50) of all their competitors who advertised that their turntables were “better than a Linn,” and asked, “If Linn is only the 50th best turntable, how come everybody wants to claim they’re better than us?” If von Däniken is such an obvious crackpot, why are there such extensive scholarly efforts to debunk his “theories”? The guy made his money off an ignorant public, but then, so did Britney Spears.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2002, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/14 "2002-12-18T16:39:04Z")
Let’s see:
1. The Egyptians didn’t use wooden rollers. They dragged the blocks, wetting the path so it would slide on the mud. And why would they need scaffolding?
2. See #1.
3. And if they laid 1000 stones a day, it would take 6.6 years. So? See [http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/pyramidworkforce.htm](http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/pyramidworkforce.htm) for a discussion.
4. Wrong. Earlier pyramids were smaller and were built at different angles. They obviously learned as they built more of them.
5. Wrong. Soot from torches has been found. One of Van Daniken’s faults is that he doesn’t mind lying to support his case.
6. The worker’s quarters have been found. Provisioning them was no different than provisioning any city. The Egyptians were able to feed those living in Memphis; why would Gaza be a problem?
7. What do you mean, no prehistory? No older houses? You mean they didn’t leave the older structures intact when they built something new on the site? As is often the case, Van D asks a question from an unsupported assumption.
8. No. This is a common bit of bilge, but no matter how you define “the continent and the oceans,” it’s not true.
9. I’m guessing but there is relationship between the sides and height of the pyramids that comes out to be pi. However, this is a simple function of the dimensions of the structure.
Finally:
> [@](#):
>
> So was were they built?? And how did they get the knowledge . The author further goes on to say that some of the pyramids with the current tech would not be possible to build.
We know how they were built. We have examples of their tools and eyewitness descriptions of their construction. And how much knowledge does it take to make a big pile of rock?
As far as current tech – sure we could build a Great Pyramid. It would just be prohibitably expensive. But the Egyptians “paid” their laborers in room and board, and I suspect most of the materials were donated (these were big public projects, a matter of national and personal pride).
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2002, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/15 "2002-12-18T16:42:59Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by CookingWithGas \*
> \*\*If von Däniken is such an obvious crackpot, why are there such extensive scholarly efforts to debunk his “theories”? The guy made his money off an ignorant public, but then, so did Britney Spears. \*\*
Because people don’t **know** he’s a crackpot. And his arguments are persuasive to the uninformed. Someone has to point out that he’s full of crap to those who believe his garbage.
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### Author:  [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2002, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/16 "2002-12-18T16:45:48Z")
Hoory! I get to be the first to contribute an appropriate _Red Dwarf_ quote!
[paraphrase]
Rimmer “How could the Egyptians move such incredibly massive blocks of stone without aliens helping?”
Lister “Incredibly massive whips.”
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### Author:  [@Kendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kendo)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2002, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/17 "2002-12-18T17:41:22Z")
Damn you **Silentgoldfish**! My excitement grew as I drew near the end of the page…to find that you’d already quoted The Dwarf. But I may as well set down the full quote (stolen from the interweb, natch):
> [@](#):
>
> Rimmer: How did they move such massive pieces of stone without the aid of modern technology?
>
> Lister: They had massive whips, Rimmer. Massive, massive whips.
Yunno, some day I’ll contribute something worthwhile.
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### Author:  [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2002, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/18 "2002-12-18T17:53:18Z")
It is now thought that the reason that pi as a factor of pyramid base length came about was the method of measurement.
The height and that base length are in proportion to each other, but the base was measured out either using a rolling wheel or barrel whose diameter or radius was 1 cubit.
This should be no surprise, surveyors use measuring wheels and have done for centuries, the differance is that the circumferance x refvolution is the unit of measure, rather than radius x revolutions.
Given the sheer scale of the great pyramid, then pi will be a factor to many decimal points.
Since the height is a factor of the base length, it also seems logical that this too must have a factor of pi built into it.
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### Author:  [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2002, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/19 "2002-12-18T18:35:22Z")
Go read “Crash go the chariots” by Clifford Wilson. It tells you all you need to know about CotG.
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### Author:  [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)
#### Post date: [December 18, 2002, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/20 "2002-12-18T19:05:21Z")
Silentgoldfish, LOL!! Thanks, I needed a good laugh! 😛
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