How Did They Build The Pyramids?

Who Were The Builders Of Teotihuacan?

Sacred numbers At Chichen Itza

Is Tiahuanaco Older Than We Realise?

The Pyramids At Giza:

Here I will try to set out an alternative to the traditionally held views, without stepping into the realms of the absurd and patently ridiculous.

First we must think about the logistics involved in creating the single largest man-made structure on earth. How was it possible to build the pyramids, within the space of 100 years? What size of workforce was needed to complete the task? How did they cut and dress the stone, with only copper tools for the purpose?

The great pyramid at Giza has been attributed to the Pharaoh Khufu, the second king of the 4th dynasty. Although there seems to be two different schools of though on this. Current speculation is that all of the pyramids were built between 2575 BC and 2467 BC, a time frame of 108 years. Khufu's pyramid is a masterpiece of engineering and craftsmanship, beyond the capabilities of today's modern technology. It contains an estimated 2.3 millions blocks of stone, each weighing an average of around 2.5 tons. The building was originally finished with highly polished outer casing stones, an estimated 144,000 of them. The pyramid is also aligned to the four cardinal points, more accurately than the Greenwich Observatory in London! The sarcophagus in the king's chamber is carved from a single piece of red granite, how did they do that with copper tools? This coffer has been so precisely crafted, that the external volume, is exactly double that of the internal volume.

The conventional belief is that the pyramid was built in 20 years by tens of thousands of peasants using only the simplest of copper tools. To complete the pyramid this way and within this time frame, would require one block of stone to be laid every two minutes...which in view of the logistics involved, is not only absurd, but also patently unworkable. There are many theories as to how these structures were built, some quite sensible, others a little more far fetched and others that are just plain luducrous! Here I will attempt to outline how I imagine the ancient people of Egypt managed to construct the pyramids.

Most archaeologists maintain that they were built using clay ramps. Others contend that, as we cannot build similar structures using the best of modern building techniques and machinery available today, then the pyramid builders must have been extraterrestrials! A few years ago, a Japanese consortium, tried to duplicate the Great Pyramid of Giza, in 1/4 scale, using the latest technology and modern building techniques. They failed. The Great Pyramid resists all efforts to understand how it was built, by who, and for what purpose it was designed.

Consider the use of straight ramps...Yes for the first few courses of blocks they could have been used. But, the taller the building became, the steeper the incline of the ramp, the harder it would be to haul the blocks up, the wider the ramp would need to be to prevent it collapsing under it's own weight. A building the size of the great pyramid would need a ramp in the region of a mile in length, no mean engineering feat in it's own right! The other accepted theory regarding the use of ramps, is the wrap around theory, where the ramp spirals around the building as each extra course of blocks is added. A major problem here, would be manoeuvering a block of stone, weighing 2.5 tons, around a 90 degree bend. Another problem would be that, as the structure grew taller, it would be obscured, making it impossible for the architects to check that the apex of the pyramid would end up directly over the centre of the base. It would make it impossible to check that the building wasn't "twisting" on it's axis with each new course of blocks added. The solution to both of the difficulties raised with each of these types of ramps, would be to have a ramp which only ascended up one face of the pyramid.

The alternative theory I propose, is that a series of ramps were used. Each being the height of the course of blocks being put in place at that time. Ascent up the face of the pyramid would be in a "zig-zag" configuration. Each ramp would be able to rest on the course of stones directly below, being shored up at intervals and being packed with a mixture of quarry chippings, sand, lime and water. This would have created a surface strong enough to take the weight of the stone with the added advantage of being small enough to repair if needed. The surface of the ramp would also become slippery when water was applied, this would have helped in hauling the stone up the slope. If you could construct a ramp, which only needed to be as high as the next course of bricks, the incline would remain at a manageable height and the ramp itself would be no larger in size to the previous one. Thereby negating the need for a huge engineering job, in enlarging a single ramp with each course.

One of the advantages of using this theory is, that three sides of the pyramid would be free from building activity, allowing the architects access to make sure that the building was still running "true". They could check that the structure was not twisting in construction, that the apex would fall directly over the centre of the base and that it was still aligned to the four cardinal points.

All of this remains, just a theory, and I welcome any advances or ideas which may throw some light onto what is but one, of the mysteries surrounding the pyramids at Giza.