The Real History That Debunks The Conspiracy — Were The Pyramids Built By Aliens?
Are the pyramids too awesome to have been the work of the mere mortals of ancient Egypt? The conspiracy theory that aliens built the pyramids is the subject of an episode of our weird decade about the origins of the belief and the evidence that reveals how the monuments were really constructed.
Pseudoarchaeology, conspiracy theories that ancient civilizations were founded by aliens or the denizens of Atlantis, are more than just silly — they’re dangerous.
More than 50 pyramids still stand in Egypt: colossal feats of architecture, engineering and lasting monuments to the ancient civilization of the pharaohs. From the oldest — the step pyramid of Djoser, erected during the Third Dynasty in the 27th century BC — the period of pyramid building lasted around a millennium, and the structures took many forms. It could be made of mud brick or limestone, stepped or with smooth white casing.
Pyramids served as royal tombs and aids for pharaohs to reach the afterlife; heavy with symbolism, the shape almost represented a stairway to heaven or the Sun’s rays coming down to Earth. It had a worldly purpose too as a status symbol for kings — who else could command Egypt, both its people and resources, to build something so wondrous?
