The construction of the great pyramids

The method of construction of the great pyramids is a question which remains shrouded in mystery. However, three historians named Erich von Daniken, Clifford Wilson, and Joseph Davidovits have devised theories which attempt to explain this wonder. The three theories are well developed; However, Davidovits’ theory explains many of the unanswered questions of the pyramids that the other two theories cannot account for. Despite all the strengths of Davidovits’ theory, it still has some flaws, including the question of whether or not the Egyptians actually had the technology to cast blocks from concrete. Daniken’s Theory, although explanatory of some of the mysteries that surround the pyramids, is based of the unprecedented event that extraterrestrials landed on earth. Most of Daniken’s evidence is either explainable or pure coincidence. The theory provided by Wilson is nearly as unlikely as Daniken’s due to the fact that Wilson’s theorized method of construction would require an amount of labour and that the Egyptians did not possess, as well as tools that they could not have created. Daniken’s and Wilson’s theories are clearly surpassed by Davidovits’ more explanatory and more probably version of events.

Although Davidovits’ theory evidently explains a more reasonable approach to the construction of the pyramids, it still has several flaws. The biggest of these flaws is the issue of whether the ancient Egyptians possessed the technology to create artificial stone. It seems unlikely that a people who lived 4500 years ago would have mastered the skills necessary to produce a 6 500 000 ton monument from artificial stones. Even if they did have this capability, it seems less likely that they would be able to mass produce the blocks on the scale required to build the pyramids. Nonetheless, Davidovits counters this argument by theorizing that the Egyptians could produce the blocks through alchemy. Davidovits states that the Egyptians were advanced enough in the art of alchemy to perform the mummification process, therefore it is also possible that they were scientifically advanced enough to create concrete. Furthermore, the Egyptians worshipped a god named Khnum, whose worship was related to alchemical stone making. “During the old kingdom, the prestige of the god Khnum, the divine potter who was one of the creators of the universe, reached its peak.” (Davidovits, J., 4) Is it a coincidence that the Egyptians devoutly worshipped a god associated with artificial stone making during the time period when they built the great pyramids? Although it is not known for certain whether the Egyptians were capable of making concrete, Davidovits’ theory highlights some evidence which strongly suggests they possessed this technology.

Davidovits offers many bits of crucial evidence to support his theory. His theory clarifies many curious anomalies concerning the pyramids which are otherwise left unexplained in Daniken’s and Wilson’s theories. Although, as Davidovits states “It is extremely difficult to distinguish natural from artificial limestone,” (Davidovits, J., 4 ) he also says “Lines left by the moulds appear on the surface of the large blocks, which took longer (three days) to set. These lines are wavy, characteristic of most types of concrete, and not horizontal, characteristic of natural limestone.” (Davidovits, J., 4) This astounding bit of evidence suggests that the pyramids blocks were, in fact, created in moulds. In addition, Pyramid blocks show no sign of tool marks on them, whereas carved blocks do. This also suggests that they were cast and not quarried. Davidovits’ theory also highlights several other differences that the blocks in the pyramids have from blocks made of natural limestone. The fossils in the pyramid blocks are found scattered throughout, not layered horizontally, like in natural stone. Natural blocks also contain cracks that are filled in with calcite, yet another trait which is not characteristic of pyramid blocks. All these anomalies prove that the blocks in the pyramids are not natural stone, but rather, as Davidovits theorizes, are artificial stone produced through alchemy.

Erich Von Daniken has a different opinion on the construction of the pyramids. He theorizes that the Egyptians were not sophisticated enough to have built them at all. Instead his theory states that the pyramids were built by extraterrestrial beings. This theory, however has many flaws and weaknesses. First of all, the possibility that aliens landed on Earth and built a tomb for the Pharaoh is so unlikely that few people take it seriously. One aspect of Daniken’s theory states “Is it coincidence that the area of the base of the pyramid divided by twice its height gives the celebrated figure 3.14159?” (Daniken, E., 1) Although this is an intriguing discovery, it could just be coincidence. The current dimensions of the pyramid do not equal pi exactly, but this could be due to erosion and deformation over four and a half millennia. Even if the calculation of pi integrated into the pyramid was intentional, it is still far more likely that the Egyptians themselves were responsible than aliens. Daniken also states that the pyramid of Khufu is positioned so that a meridian running through it divides the continents and oceans exactly in half. Daniken states that this proves his theory because the Egyptians did not have a map of the whole world, and only aliens could have positioned the pyramid there. This aspect of Daniken’s theory is far more likely to be coincidental, because the location of the pyramid can be attributed to other factors. The pyramid was more likely positioned where is was because of its proximity to the city. It is also theorized that the Egyptians were trying to build a heaven on earth and the Great Pyramid was supposed to represent the star in the middle of the constellation of Orion’s Belt. Therefore, the pyramid could not have been positioned anywhere else, lest the Egyptians gargantuan star map be inaccurate. Daniken’s theory that extraterrestrials landed on earth and built the pyramids has one or two intriguing bits of evidence, but the possibility of the unprecedented even of aliens landing on earth and building the pyramids is so overwhelmingly improbable that it can be discounted. The remarkable mysteries of the Great Pyramid of Khufu can be more likely accredited to the Egyptians themselves, or to pure coincidence.