Every people on the planet is fascinated with the Egyptian pyramids, the great pyramids of Giza. There are lots of mysteries surrounding it and there are conspiracy theories on how it was constructed thousands of years ago. This is one of history’s most ancient and unsolved puzzles of the construction of the great pyramids. How were the Egyptian Pyramids built? Over history, many scholars and scientists asked and wondered the same question ‘how the pyramids were built?
The Great Pyramids of Giza and the other pyramids, over 100 Egyptian pyramids, are considered to be the greatest pieces of human engineering and architecture now. These monuments are strongly standing after over 4,500 years and are still an unsolved mystery and puzzle to this present day. Some scriptures found by Ancient Egyptians can help to understand a bit better how the construction of such monuments has come about. These huge structures made up of limestone or mudbrick are the oldest known man-made structures on our planet.
It is so simple to identify why people are so fascinated with the Egyptian pyramids. There are a lot of mysteries revolving around their construction. Even previously and still people used to believe some conspiracy theories that they were built by aliens, but they weren’t built by slave labor, either. So how could people 4,000 years ago from now create some of the largest, most iconic structures on Earth?
Let’s bit talk about history, it is the most famous pyramid in the world and is also the most ancient & largest. It stands 481 feet or 146.5 meters tall, it’s not called the Great Pyramid of Giza for nothing, it is fulfilled with lots of mysteries. It was built at the order of Pharaoh Khufu around 2560 B.C.E., although how it was actually constructed has been covered by history.
But slowly the team of archaeologists is revealing and explaining various mechanisms and techniques that are being used behind the construction of the great pyramids. The stones were mined from a quarry just south of the pyramid, and researchers believe that their journey across the desert was made easier by wetting the sand first. But that only explains how the stones got from one location to another, not how they were then lifted high into the air and deposited in a broad triangle.
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Researchers believed that action would have involved a ramp of some sort, and it is challenging that ramp would have needed to be very steep which is an incline of about 20 degrees or so and that would have posed a significant challenge for a 2.5-ton stone. Archaeologists have found some of the mechanisms and techniques that are being used to build the pyramids. The techniques that were used in the process of constructing the Egyptian pyramids have puzzled many scientists for many years. Hence, it led to many controversial hypotheses and theories regarding the construction of the pyramids. The common theory is based on the belief that the huge stones were carved from the quarries using copper chisels (a cutting tool with a sharp edge). Then, these blocks were dragged and lifted into the position as per the reports says.
The evidence shows that the pyramids were constructed using slave labor and another theory suggests that the pyramids were built by tens of thousands of free skilled workers that worked for a salary. The evidence shows that these pyramids were constructed in 3 phases.
Phase 1- Choosing the perfect building site
Phase 2- Preparing the site
Phase 3- Raising the blocks
Phase 1– The first step was to choose a suitable site. The land was on the west side where the sun sets because Ancient Egyptians believed that wherever the sun sets that was the portal to the afterlife. The pyramids also needed to be located on high ground, away from the danger of flooding at the time of the river Nile tidal wave. The site was chosen because it would be at a point on the desert plateau that was proven a firm rock base capable of supporting the high weight of the pyramid without any risk of cracking because the pyramids weigh around 2.5 tons. Additionally, the site chosen for the construction of each pyramid was also considered based on the distance of the pyramid to the king’s residence, as the King would need to inspect the development of his burial chamber regularly.
Phase 2- The second step was preparing the site. Even though there were No plans for the construction of the pyramids were ever found, the construction of pyramids was not a random plan and the measurements were accurate to a high degree. The workers had to prepare a firm foundation by removing the sand from the rock. Then, the rock base had to be flat and this may have been done by building low mud walls all around the base and cutting channels in a grid pattern over the surface. Then, they fill the channels with water and mark the maximum water level that would reach. After the water evaporated or drained away, to stick the rock, it would have been cut back to the level indicated. Each side of the pyramid had to face one of the quarter points. The workers may have established the true north first and worked out the other directions from that. They may have found true north by measuring the northern star in the northern sky. By bisecting the angle, they might be able to obtain a north-south line. They had instruments for drawing right angles so by following the directions they would find east and west and they had to make the base square. With all four sides that are exactly the same length and the corners in perfect right angles.
Phase 3-The last step was raising the blocks. The inner chambers and passages would have been built independently and the actual pyramid built around them. The inner pyramid would be built from limestone that was cut from the desert plateau. Moreover, granite was used for the lower courses. Big and heavy stones or rocks s were used in the building of the pyramids that vary in size. However, the largest rocks can be found in the King’s chamber.
The precise method of raising the pyramids is still not known. We cannot even think of Pulleys because that was not invented until Roman times. It has been said that workers used a ramp to drag or pull the blocks into position. But there is no evidence found of such a ramp structure that has been identified at any of the various pyramid sites if used. Maybe the ramp would have gone around the pyramid and was dismantled when the pyramid was completed.
