# So how were the pyramids built?? **URL:** \ **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:** 2
**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 18, 2002, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/21 "2002-12-18T19:50:27Z")
I can take a crack at this too: 1. Sleds also work for moving stones. Stones can also be dragged raw. 2. Lebanon had trees 3. They could lay a lot more than that. 4. Cultures have been known to decline. The art of the late roman empire is much less detailed than the early RE. Does that mena alien made the Colesium? 5. Lack of blackenings is not proof of lack of torches. 6. Egypt is very fertile. It was the breakbasket of the Roman Empire for a long time. 7. Excuse me? Take a long gander at all them other pyramids throughout the desert. The ones they screwed up on are very telling (The “bent” pyramid, etc.) 8. No it doesn’t. 9. No it doesn’t. Daaniken is a fool, a liar, oh and a thief too. From 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. Daaniken’s books were so popular that it was almost a plague of ignorance foisted on the world. Every person doing real scientific work on Egypt or Archeology was suddenly confronted with mouthbreathers saying “Naw, it was aliens, just like that book I read.” This was long before every nut had a webpage, and Daniken has idiots following in his footsteps (Alan Alford, Graham Hancock, etc.). Certain woowoo theories reach a critical mass wherupon more than just the usual skeptics must be employed to debunk it. The heavyweight debunkers may not do abetter job than the regular skeptics, but they often have more respect and distribution. Case in point: When the FOX Moon Hoax junkfest came out, enough fools were around that the excellent efforts of our own **Bad Astronomer** (and others) were not enough. NASA itself had to put up a page and press release saying why FOX was full brown mushy stuff. they didn’t do a better job, they just had to say something. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/22 "2002-12-18T19:58:03Z")
IIRC Carl Sagen debunked EvD about the markings seen in South America. EvD claims that they are landing tracks for the aliens or some such. I’m paraphrasing: [Carl Sagan] So we have these aliens, who flew through thousands of lightyears in space, to visit us. They land and what did they start constructing? Airstrips. What for? The DC3’s or B52’s they brought with them? [/Carl Sagan] ---
**Author:** ![kiwiboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/35a633/32.png) [@kiwiboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiwiboy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/23 "2002-12-18T20:39:46Z")
You could always try and build one yourself (virtually of course thanks to the BBC) [Pyramid Game link](http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/pyramid_builder_game.shtml) Go on dare you too… ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/24 "2002-12-18T20:55:13Z")
I remember reading, in my teenage years, a french book that claimed that the pyramid stones were lifted through the use of a “magic rod”. The rod could emit a musical note causing the air to vibrate in a certain way. By pointing the rod at the stone, you could use the air vibrations to lift the stone and place it in any spot desired. Was this idea taken from “Chariots of the Gods”, or did the french author (whose name I forget) think of it himself? ---
**Author:** ![octothorpe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/b77776/32.png) [@octothorpe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octothorpe)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/25 "2002-12-18T21:50:04Z")
I remember reading something myself about 20 years ago that i’ve never seen written about since. It seems that a team found some unusual blocks of wood at one of the digs. Basically, the blocks were described as ‘semi-circular’ wedges; flat on one side, curved on the other. Someone eventually realized that the flat side (chord) was the same length as a ‘typical’ block and took it further and discovered that 4 such wedges formed a circle with a huge square hole in the middle. They posited that attaching 4 of these at each end of a block (8 total) would form a wheel with the block itself as the hub. Thus, huge amounts of rollers would not be needed as once attached, the wedges would allow the workers to roll the huge blocks wherever needed. Has anyone else seen, read or heard anything more on this? # ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/26 "2002-12-18T22:04:49Z")
Don’t listen to these people. The pyramids really were constructed by aliens.\* The reason the later ones are so wonky is that the Egyptians eventually figured out how to make aluminum foil, too, so the engineering-by-mind-control became less effective. \*Illegal aliens. They were from the Yucatan and didn’t have green cards. ---
**Author:** ![NE\_Texan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e99b99/32.png) [@NE\_Texan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NE_Texan)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2002, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/27 "2002-12-18T22:19:55Z")
Actually, was it Von Daniken or Sagan that talked about that tablet they found? You know, the one that had the instructions for the pyramid… Let’s see, part of the translation was: > [@](#): > > MAKE MONUMENTS FAST > > It’s easy, and it really works! Just get XL or X of your friends to push a one-ton block of sandstone to the address below. Chisel your name on to the bottom, pass it around to your XL or X friends, and then wait! > > It Really Works! ---
**Author:** ![smam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/46a35a/32.png) [@smam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smam)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/28 "2002-12-19T15:00:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kiwiboy \* > \*\*You could always try and build one yourself (virtually of course thanks to the BBC) > > [Pyramid Game link](http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/pyramid_builder_game.shtml) > > Go on dare you too… \*\* Woohoo, I done it, took a few turns but I finally built the thing, took me 20 years. Took me 18 days to traverse the nile. Beat that. ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/29 "2002-12-19T16:29:52Z")
Too funny. No pre-history? What was the Naqada period, then? I could try to answer your questions but… people here have answered your assertions. Hey, if you want to understand more about Egyptian culture, read Paul Johnson’s “The Civilization of Ancient Egypt”. I like it a lot and it’s very comprehensive. I assure you, all your questions are very satisfactorily answered by history. ---
**Author:** ![KarmaComa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e36b37/32.png) [@KarmaComa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarmaComa)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/30 "2002-12-19T16:45:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mangetout \* > 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) = **218.717** (corrected) > > 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! What the **HELL** are you talking about? Last time I checked, 66.66 meters is, oh, about 218.7 feet! **What kind of nonsense is that?** :smack: Some parlour trick! ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/31 "2002-12-19T17:48:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RealityChuck \* > \*\*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. \*\* Thanks for saying this. I would like to add that this statement also works when talking about Graham Hancock. There are some things to consider when reading claims like the ones that EvD makes: The possibility of ethnocentrism. _There is no way that people with skin that dark could do that_. Think that is wrong? Where is EvD and his questioning of the construction of Stonehenge? Stonehenge and the pyramids date to roughly the same time. Stonehenge is constructed by massive blocks of stone that had to be transported great distances and erected in precise locations. But hardly anybody claims that aliens buit it. I guess that saying the Druids built it is about the same thing. And about his claim that aliens built the Nazca lines as airstrips - I read a statement from EvD, from about 1998 or so, where he claimed that the publisher of the book made the “airstrip” comment after using a close of photo of [the hands or the hummingbird (bottom of the page)](http://www.unmuseum.org/nazca.htm) and vD made the comment that they kind of looked like gates at an airport. As much as I think it is a crock, I own a copy of CotG on video and want to get the DVD. It is one of the great cheese products of all time. ---
**Author:** ![KarmaComa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e36b37/32.png) [@KarmaComa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarmaComa)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/32 "2002-12-19T18:09:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by adam yax \* > **The possibility of ethnocentrism. _There is no way that people with skin that dark could do that_. Think that is wrong? Where is EvD and his questioning of the construction of Stonehenge? Stonehenge and the pyramids date to roughly the same time. Stonehenge is constructed by massive blocks of stone that had to be transported great distances and erected in precise locations. But hardly anybody claims that aliens buit it. I guess that saying the Druids built it is about the same thing.** That’s absolute garbage. The pyramids are on a completely different scale than Stonehenge, which is basically just a bunch of big inukshuks in the middle of nowhere. The scale of the pyramids is the most puzzling and awe-inspiring thing about them. If you’re going to put words into people’s mouths (even crackpots), you should pick a different forum. ---
**Author:** ![KarmaComa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e36b37/32.png) [@KarmaComa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarmaComa)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/33 "2002-12-19T18:17:36Z")
Sorry that was rude. I should say, rather, “cite?”. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/34 "2002-12-19T18:26:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KarmaComa \* > \*\*That’s absolute garbage. The pyramids are on a completely different scale than Stonehenge, which is basically just a bunch of big inukshuks in the middle of nowhere. The scale of the pyramids is the most puzzling and awe-inspiring thing about them. \*\* It is not absolute garbage. Yes, the scale is different but the analogy I used is correct. In fact, that stonhenge is "in the middle of nowhere,as you put it, makes it interesting because of the wide scale of work that had to be undertaken to complete it. And IIRC, the level of cultural complexity was lower in England at that time, for chiefdoms to be able to undertake such a massive project would have been much more difficult than a monarchy to do the same thing. > [@](#): > > \*\* > If you’re going to put words into people’s mouths (even crackpots), you should pick a different forum. \*\* Please show me where I did this. ---
**Author:** ![KarmaComa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e36b37/32.png) [@KarmaComa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarmaComa)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/35 "2002-12-19T18:35:07Z")
You did it right here: > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by adam yax \* > **The possibility of ethnocentrism. _There is no way that people with skin that dark could do that_. Think that is wrong? Where is EvD and his questioning of the construction of Stonehenge?** You basically call EvD a racist because he goes on about the pyramids, but not about Stonehenge. I think a little more backup is in order if you’re going to call someone a racist, or at least suggest that they say “There is no way that people with skin that dark could do that”. ---
**Author:** ![SandWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8491ac/32.png) [@SandWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandWriter)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/36 "2002-12-19T18:59:42Z")
Vibrotronica - LOL! I agree. No TV and, of course, no political parties… ---
**Author:** ![dbimage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@dbimage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dbimage)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/37 "2002-12-19T20:20:41Z")
ok…but what if they didn’t use any of those techniques? what if the pyramids are made of concrete…? _Since the early eighties, Prof. Joseph Davidovits is proposing that the pyramids and temples of Old Kingdom Egypt were constructed using agglomerated limestone, rather than quarried and hoisted blocks of natural limestone. This type of fossil-shell limestone concrete would have been cast or packed into molds._ read more here: [http://www.geopolymer.org/archaeo1a.html](http://www.geopolymer.org/archaeo1a.html) ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/38 "2002-12-19T20:59:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jukeball \* > \*\*1. They could not get wood (for rollers , scaffolding etc)from the palms trees as they provided dates They could import wood…for instance down the Nile from Africa, or from Lebanon, etc…though I don’t know how well trade relationships were develloped at the time the pyramid were built. > [@](#): > > 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 And what the issue with trasporting wood on the Nile? Until relatively recent times, and with the exception of the roman empire and its well develloped road networks, transport by boat on river and canals was the most efficient and quick. And the Nile is particulary convenient in the case of Egyptia, sionce essentially everything was situated close to its shores. What more convenient way to transport goods could you find in ancient Egypti? And naval trade existed too… > [@](#): > > 1. 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 no clu about these figures, but once again, what is the problem? It could very well have taken 664 days…or even 5 years…It’s not like old monuments were built overnight… > [@](#): > > 1. 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. Totally untrue. The first pyramids were much smaller than the major well known ones, and had degrees. The architectural abilities had improved over time. > [@](#): > > 1. 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. No clue about this issue. But there’s not much rooms or halls inside the pyramids. And what do you mean by “dig inside”??? > [@](#): > > 1. Where did all the food come from for the workers During all the antiquity, Egyptia was the most productive nation around the mediterranean sea. It had extremely fertile land, thanks to the Nile floods. It not by chance that a powerful and wealthy civilization appeared there. It has been the “wheat granary” of the roman empire. That’s not an issue. > [@](#): > > 1. How did the egyptians suddently arise with splendid houses , sculptures , pyramids etc with no pre history They didn’t “suddenly arise” with splendid houses… There’s an egyptian prehistory. It’s certainly much less known than the following period for obvious reasons (no written record, by definition) but there are definitely people studying it. The Egyptian civilization didn’t pop up from nowhere… > [@](#): > > 1. The pyramid of cheopps divides the continent and the ocean into 2 halves! I absolutely don’t understand what you mean by that. Care to elaborate? > [@](#): > > 1. the area of the pyramid divided by twice it height give TT I don’t know what is TT. But anyway, these kind of calculations are nonsentical. You can find essentially any date or number by measuring anything, especially if you choose careffuly the units of measurment. I could certainly find my date of birth by measuring my keyboard in some unit, then adding, dividing or multiplying one dimension or another until I find the result I’m searching for. > [@](#): > > . The author further goes on to say that some of the pyramids with the current tech would not be possible to build. \*\* Of course, they could be build again, if we really wanted to. The author is either a moron or a liar (possibly both, and very likely a crook). ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/39 "2002-12-19T21:13:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by clairobscur \* > I don’t know what is TT. \*\* OK;…I just realized you meant “pi”. I read T and T, and assumed it was some acronym. Then even if it’s true, I’m not sure why it would be surprising. The egyptians knew an approximate value of “pi”. Assuming that the author’s figures are correct, once again (which could be a big step). ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2002, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558/40 "2002-12-19T21:16:27Z")
> [@](#): > > ## \*Originally posted by KarmaComa \* \*\*You did it right here: quote: > > ## Originally posted by adam yax The possibility of ethnocentrism. There is no way that people with skin that dark could do that. Think that is wrong? Where is EvD and his questioning of the construction of Stonehenge? \*\* First things first. What did I quote? Nothing - I was only expressing the attitudes that have popped up in archaeology and other fields for many years (although, thankfully it is declining). If it were a quote > [@](#): > > I would have displayed it like this or at the very least “like this”. I’m sorry if you don’t believe that ethnocentrism exists/existed in the manner that I describe, but it does/did. > [@](#): > > \*\* > You basically call EvD a racist because he goes on about the pyramids, but not about Stonehenge. I think a little more backup is in order if you’re going to call someone a racist, or at least suggest that they say “There is no way that people with skin that dark could do that”. > \*\* I didn’t call von Däniken a racist. I mearly suggested that ethnocentrism (of which racism is a part) may have been reason that von Däniken says aliens built the pyramids. Why don’t you do a little research and see what past “scholars” have said about things like Great Zimbabwe or the mound building culture(s) of North America? Why don’t you read up on phrenology and see why some people used it as a justification for slavery? To reiterate - I didn’t call von Däniken a racist. I suggested that he may have been ethnocentric. Bottom line is von Däniken is not a respected scholar or scientist. There is plenty of proof that hard working people gave their living embodiment of a god the big pointy building that he wanted. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-were-the-pyramids-built/143558.md?page=3)