How Were the Pyramids Built?

 

The pyramids built by the ancient Egyptians are among the most well known and celebrated in the world. Egyptians engineered the model for what most of us consider the classic pyramid design: a square base and four smooth triangular sides.

 The awesome design and massive size of the pyramids have evoked some fanciful explanations. Some people have suggested that inhabitants of the legendary Atlantis extraterrestrials built them, while others claim levitation was used or that the Egyptians possessed a now-lost, unique technology to help them erect the remarkable structures. Indeed, there is no known Egyptian hieroglyph or relief or any surviving written account from that time depicting the building of the pyramids. For centuries, Egyptologists, scientists, engineers, writers, and mathematicians have theorized how the pyramids were built. All agree, however, about the basic techniques of pyramid construction.

   Copper chisels were used to quarry softn rocks such as sandstone and limestone, while dolerite, a hard, black igneous rock, was used on granite and diorite. The blocks were transported from quarries usually located in Aswan to the construction sites down the Nile River on rafts or barges during the rainy season.

  Without knowledge of the wheel, pyramid builders used teams of oxen or manpower to drag the stones—many civilization, the biblical Noah, and even weighing more than 60 tons (54,431 kg)— on a smoothed, level surface built from the Nile to the construction site. The stones were pulled on sleds or on rolling logs, and the roadways may have been lubricated with oil or water.

  The big debate of archaeologists, scientists, and professionals centers upon exactly how the massive stone blocks were lifted to the top of the pyramid as it was constructed upward. Extant ramps—made of mud, brick, earth, or rubble mixed with fragments of brick for added stability and strength—have been found at several pyramid sites over the years. Some Egyptologists theorize that side ramps could have been erected, spiraling around the four sides of the structure, while others suggest a steep staircase-type ramp. Some propose a straight, sloping ramp built from the ground to each side, which was constantly raised as the pyramid rose. One recent theory suggests that two types of ramps were used: an external ramp to build the bottom portion of the pyramid and an internal ramp to complete the structure.

  Recently discovered tombs of pyramid workers indicate that the structures were built by paid laborers, rather than by slaves as previously believed. Many of the laborers were farmers and local villagers, who considered it a high honor to work for their god-king rulers and build their monuments. The workers were provided food, clothing, and decent housing, and many received tax breaks and other perks for their efforts. Modern Egyptologists estimate as many as 30,000 laborers worked on a single pyramid.

  Whatever the exact construction process, it is undeniable that the ancient Egyptians engineered some of humankind’s most massive and aweinspiring building projects. Archaeologists are certain that they achieved their success without supernatural aid—and certainly without the assistance of alien beings.