For centuries, the Egyptian pyramids have amazed researchers.
They are still shrouded in many unsolved mysteries despite the fact that
they are some of the most famous and studied architectural monuments in the world.
The questions related to the pyramids for now are more than the solved answers and
theories about the construction of these mysterious structures.
More and more conflicting opinions about the buildings appear with the advancement of technology
and the advent of modern methods of simulations,
tomographic studies and scanners on the basis of which all new data on how the ancient architects worked are compiled.
In this video, analyzing the information available so far,
we will try to give a comprehensive answer to the question: how were the Egyptian pyramids built.
CONSCIOUSNESS
The Great Pyramid of Giza was built during the fourth dynasty of Khufu, better known by his Greek name Cheops,
who ruled Ancient Egypt from 2606 to 2583 BC.
It is believed that the pyramid was built according to the project of the architect Hemon, also called Hemionu.
The artifact is the last surviving architectural monument of the Seven Wonders of the World
and the most famous pyramid in the world today.
Although its age now exceeds 4,500 years and is the largest of all the ancient Egyptian pyramids,
there is still debate about how it was built.
The imposing pyramid is built of more than 2 million huge stone blocks,
the largest of which weigh in the order of several tens of tons, and the total weight of the almost
140 meters (45 ft 11 in) high structure is about six and a half million tons.
In order not to sink under the sands under its own weight, the foundations of the pyramid are made of solid rock.
It is assumed that granite blocks were brought from a quarry that was thousands of kilometers away.
Scientists do not have a plausible version that answers the question of how these stones were transported
and how the Cheops pyramid was built in the first place.
Despite the development of mankind, the advanced technology at our disposal
and all the knowledge gained in the more than 4500 years since the creation of the artifact,
a concrete theory about the technology of building the pyramid has not yet been found.
The most common claim is that the pyramids were not built by the Egyptians,
but by other more ancient or even extraterrestrial civilizations.
However, historians working with ancient documents remind us that the Egyptians
were in the habit of writing everything down, and if the construction was done by an alien civilization,
then they would definitely document it and we would find it in some ancient Egyptian sources.
Another popular myth says that some secret related to astronomical observations is encoded in the Pyramids.
Scientists Jean-Philippe and Marc Lenore, who have devoted their entire lives to the study of pyramids, argue,
however, that most mathematical and astronomical theories are based on incomplete or incorrect data,
if only because it has not yet been proven that the ancient Egyptians were possessed
the same mathematical arsenal used by those who study the pyramids today, renders the coded information indecipherable.
In contrast to this very complicated theory, there is another much simpler one,
according to which the pyramid was intended to store cereals.
But modern archaeologists such as Alice Stevenson of the Egyptian Museum of Archeology
at University College London do not take such statements seriously.
Although no buried pharaohs have been found, Egyptologists suggest that
the Great Pyramid of Giza was primarily designed as a tomb.
Thus, he understands in detail in which eras what preferences there were for one
or another building material in different parts of the ancient Egyptian state.
Now we know what the main building materials of the ancient Egyptians were.
Relatively soft and easy to process sediments such as limestone and sandstone rocks.
Initially, the main material preferred by the Egyptians was limestone because it was very common and more common.
For example, the Pyramid of Khafre at Giza was built from limestone blocks that were quarried near the site.
Sandy sediments have been used less frequently due to difficulties in transporting them.
They became a popular building material at a later stage.
They are used for special purposes such as the more practical construction
of fortifications and ceremonies for honoring pharaohs or priests.
The Egyptians mined and worked very hard granite, Diorites, sandstones and basalt.
Of the 128 known quarries, 36 are sandstone, 89 limestone and 3 for gypsum.
So we found the answer to the question of what are the pyramids made of?
So that there are no holes between the large blocks forming the majestic buildings,
and also to cast decorative ornaments.
The Egyptians invented their own type of gypsum-based mortar.
When heated to 100 - 200 degrees Celsius, this mineral evaporates part of its water
and turns into polyhydrate gypsum, acquiring the property of binding.
When mixed with water, it crystallizes again in the form of gypsum and hardens quickly.
The crystal was usually mined in open quarries,
but when the material was in great demand the ancient Egyptians carved galleries into the rock as deep as 100 meters (32 ft 10 in).
Using pick-like tools, chisels and stone hammers, rectangular blocks of stone were cut.
But how were they delivered to the construction site?
We find the answer to this question thanks to a discovery made relatively recently.
In 2013, an ancient papyrus was discovered in the Wadi al-Jarf seaport.
After translating the document, the scientists revealed that it was written by Superintendent Mehrer,
who was in charge of 40 workers.
This is the only existing written account of an eyewitness to the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Mehrer writes that thousands of workers transported 170,000 tons of limestone down the Nile in wooden ships.
The blocks are then transported by canals to the inland port.
Merer also describes the construction of the canals and the giant dikes that diverted the water from the Nile.
The stone blocks weighed 2 and a half tons each.
The granite was transported a distance of about 850 km (528 miles)
from Aswan to Giza. The limestone was quarried closer.
But how did the Egyptians raise them?
In 2018, archaeologists reported discovering an ancient ramp system in Egypt's Eastern Desert at the Hatnub Quarry.
The ramp is 4500 years old with a sloped surface and two steps on the side with multiple post holes.
Archaeologists believe that a group of workers dragged the load up the hill using ropes that they threw over wooden poles,
making their task easier.
Evidence of how the sand blocks moved can also be seen in the tomb of Jehutihotep - 12th dynasty.
On the walls of the tomb were found images of 172 men pulling sleds with his alabaster statues, which weighed about 60 tons.
An illustration shows a man standing in front of the sled pouring water on the sand.
This image attracts the attention of scientists.
Experiments have been done which show that definitely amount of moisture in the sand halves the required tractive effort.
With the right amount of water, wet desert sand becomes twice as dense and hard as dry sand,
which means the sleds slide much easier.
Now let's say a few words about who built the pyramid?
The latest historical research categorically rejects the fact that the pyramid was built by slaves.
Modern discoveries irrefutably confirm that the pharaoh's tomb was built by free Egyptians.
In confirmation of this, an international team of archaeologists has found 2 ancient
settlements in the Giza region where the builders of the pyramid lived.
Builders are known to have worked in shifts. One shift lasted three months.
The largest number of employees at the same time is observed only in a period of four to five months of the year,
when more people were needed to move the stone blocks.
According to researchers, about 20,000 people participated in the Cheops pyramid project.
Including about 4,000 people who are supposed to have worked on the pyramid permanently.
It is possible that those who were hired for a few months performed certain mass and low-skilled work in shifts,
and that the professionals were in permanent service directly subordinate to the pharaoh.
Archaeozoologist Richard Reading analyzed bones found in the excavation.
Domesticated animals were established for the protein needs of the hard working workers.
He calculated how much food the builders needed.
According to his calculations, they ate about 1,800 kilograms (3,968 lbs) of meat per day,
that is, approximately 11 cows and 37 sheep, and in the workhouse they brewed beer and baked bread.
As you can see, modern science can tell us a lot about the past and shed light on previously unsolved mysteries.
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