A PERPLEXED CASE OF PYRAMIDS.
What are the Pyramids of Egypt, and why are they famous?
The Pyramids of Egypt are one of the enigmatic structures on the face of the earth. They are famously known for their massive size, incredible precision, and ancient origins. These structures have captured the imagination of people for centuries, inspiring countless stories, legends, and even conspiracy theories. In this article, we will explore the history and significance of the Pyramids of Giza, as well as some of the fascinating mysteries and controversies that surround them.
Where are they located?
The Pyramids of Egypt are a group of three pyramids located on the Giza plateau in Egypt. The largest and most famous of these pyramids is the Great Pyramid of Khufu, also known as the Pyramid of Cheops. This pyramid is over 4,500 years old and stands at a height of 146 meters (480 feet). It was the tallest man-made structure in the world until the completion of the Eiffel Tower in 1889.
The other two pyramids at Giza are the Pyramid of Khafre and the Pyramid of Menkaure. While they are smaller than the Great Pyramid, they are still massive structures in their own right. The entire complex at Giza covers an area of over 13 hectares (32 acres) and includes various temples, tombs, and other structures.
How were they built?
Now, that’s a real mystery. The Pyramids of Giza were supposedly built during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom period of ancient Egypt, which lasted from approximately 2613 to 2494 BCE. It is believed that the pyramids were built as tombs for the pharaohs and their consorts and were designed to protect their bodies and belongings for eternity. However, while researching pyramids, archaeologists never found any mummy or coffin that would indicate that they were built as tombs. According to some researchers, the pyramids were built over the period of 20 years by an enormous number (approx. 20,000–30,000) of workers. They would use a ramp and drag it on wet soil to carry stones or use a shadoof-like mechanism to align stones on one another.
But the counter-narrative argues that there was no pulley or crane, not even a tire or any modern-day facilities, yet they were built with over 2 million stones having a weight of approximately 2.5 to 80 tonnes per stone, and some of the stones were taken 800km away from the pyramid. Even with all these difficulties, the pyramids are perfectly aligned along the cardinal points North, South, East, and West. The stones are so professionally cut that a piece of paper cannot pass through them. But after all this, if we somehow believe the theories of ramp and shadoof, time doesn’t support this theory because if we calculate the number of workers and time taken, one stone would have taken 3 minutes to be aligned, which is not possible, and the mystery remains a mystery.
Conspiracy Theories:
When we do not have substantial evidence for something, conspiracy theories will take place. One of the most popular theories is that the pyramids were built by some extraterrestrial or supernatural powers because building these pyramids, especially the Pyramid of Khufu, was beyond the capability of ancient Egyptians. But this theory is purely based on something beyond scientific explanation, and we are not even certain about aliens yet, so we cannot accept this theory.
There are many other theories that do not make sense, like pyramids were some kind of power plant, or they were built for storing grains. We are not going to look into these theories but the sensible ones.
Graham Hancock, a famous British writer who wrote various books on pseudoscience, proposed a theory that the Pyramid of Giza is not 4000 or 4500 years old. According to him, it is at least 12000 years old, and our ancestors had some kind of technology that we have not yet figured out, which they used to build these pyramids and other monuments like the Great Sphinx. He stated that the pharaohs only renovated these great pyramids and Sphinx and nothing more. He argued that this civilization ended with a great flood that wiped out their existence, and he strengthens his argument by mentioning water grooves on the Great Sphinx, which can be dated approximately 11,500 years old. However, according to archaeologists, the oldest civilization, Mesopotamia, is dated back to 5000 years old. So how is his theory acceptable, right? But out of the blue, the recent discovery of the civilization named Gobekli Tepe, located in modern Turkey, made things more interesting when this civilization was dated, and it came out to be approximately 11,600 years old. Hancock’s theory gets more concrete, so does it mean that his theory is correct? You decide.
Conclusion:
Despite the enormity of the pyramids and their importance to Egyptian history, surprisingly little is known about their construction and purpose. There have been many theories proposed, and many archaeologists have devoted their whole life to it, but the mystery of this structure is not solving anytime soon.
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