The Egyptian pyramids are one of the most mysterious wonders of the world, and after centuries of research, scientists still can’t confirm how exactly they were built. Though archaeologists have managed to pinpoint a few things about these gigantic burial sites, each day uncovers a brand new mystery.
When it comes to the Egyptian pyramids, researchers have only scratched the surface of what secrets lie in the tunnels beneath the stone. Keep reading to learn some of the incredible discoveries uncovered at the ancient pyramids of Giza – the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that survived.
Many Scientists Agree The Largest Pyramid Was Built In 20 Years By 20,000 People
For centuries, the Great Pyramid, which was thought to be built around 2550 BC by Pharaoh Khufu, was the largest structure in the world. Our historical findings teach us that Egyptians used only wooden implements along with ropes and pulleys.
This wasn’t easy. In fact, it’s so astounding scientists aren’t even sure how it could be possible. It’s estimated that 20,000 workers built the Great Pyramid over a period of 20 years.
We’re Supposed To Believe The Pyramids Were Built Without The Help Of The Wheel
Scientists believe the pyramids were built with huge granite and limestone blocks that were dragged up to 500 miles. Some of them came from the Nile. That’s pretty far considering these stones weighed 2.5 to 15 tons. The average car is just over two tons.
So, how does one drag a stone the weight of a car over sand and across 500 miles? Well, certainly not with a wheel. By the time ancient Egypt picked up breaking technology that was the wheel, the pyramids were ancient. Oh yea, they also didn’t have steel or iron — just wood and stone.
The Great Pyramid Actually Has Eight Sides – Not Four
Most of us think of the Great Pyramid as a typical four-sided pyramid. It certainly looks that way from the ground, but hop on a plane and your perspective may shift. The Great Pyramid of Giza has eight sides, and it’s only visible from an aerial view. Some people believe this was a way to keep the casing stones from shifting.
Others think erosion created the eight sides and that the pyramid truly is supposed to have just four. Either way, this indent is impressively precise – it’s indented by one degree of a half degree. Could the wind really have made that?
Pyramids Had Massive 20 Ton Doors You Could Move With A Single Push
Not many of us could push open a 20-ton door, but the ancient pyramids of Giza were so perfectly balanced that you actually would have been able to if you were stuck inside. Some pyramids were equipped with these massive doors, which were completely hidden from the outside.
From the inside, you could push them open with minimal force – even a single hand. These doors were only discovered once the Great Pyramid was first being explored, and no one knows how the ancient Egyptians would have been able to cut, place and balance these doors so precisely that they’d actually work.
There’s Evidence The Pyramids Were Created By A Civilization Older And More Advanced Than The Egyptians
Despite the belief that the Egyptians created the pyramids with wood and ropes, scientists haven’t been able to recreate exactly how the pyramids were made. According to what we know about history, the Egyptians simply didn’t have tools that could create something so large and precise. In fact, scientists attempted to recreate the pyramids in small-scale models but failed every time.
The truth is that the Great Pyramid was made from 2.3 million stone blocks that each weight 2.5 to 15 tons. No type of wood could withstand the weight of the stones, and the workers would have had to lay down a block every 2.5 minutes for the Pyramid to have been built in 20 years as originally thought. For this reason, some scientists believe that the Pyramids actually predate the Egyptians and were created by a much more advanced society.
Evidence Of Drills Strong Enough To Penetrate Granite Were Found In Khufu’s Sarcophagus
Khufu, who allegedly created the Great Pyramid, had a pretty eyebrow-raising coffin. It basically baffled scientists when it was discovered. The sarcophagus weighed about 3.75 tons – too large and heavy to have been brought into the pyramid after it was built. It had to have been placed there beforehand.
Then there’s the whole thing about it being carved entirely from a solid piece of granite. If you don’t know, granite is pretty tough and the sarcophagus has holes in it that look like they were drilled into the stone. What primitive drill would have been strong enough to cut into granite? Certainly, a wooden pickax would’ve failed.
There’s A Labyrinth Beneath The Pyramids That Could Be Greater Than We Think
The Pyramids are equipped with an intricate tunnel system that’s carved from limestone bedrock. It’s in these tunnels that the most unbelievable discoveries are made. Man still hasn’t scaled every corner of the twisting labyrinths – and even so, when a discovery is made, scientists are often bewildered.
Theorists believe mainstream scholars and scientists are hiding an underworld of lost catacombs beneath the pyramids. We have evidence of labyrinths beneath the Great Pyramid, but some people believe there’s a whole lot more— about 55 miles south of Cairo underneath the city of Hawara. This is alluded to in various ancient texts and described by authors like Herodotus and Strabo.
There’s A Giant, Mysterious Hidden Chamber Inside The Great Pyramid – But No One Knows Why
Recently, scientists discovered a brand new chamber in the Great Pyramid. To do this, they used cosmic-ray imaging, which recorded the behavior of subatomic particles that were shot into the rock. It’s almost like an X-Ray, but it can penetrate much deeper. Unfortunately, the images are rather low-resolution, so scientists who found the chamber can’t tell if it’s a single chamber or a series of different rooms.
Either way, it’s pretty mysterious and no one knows exactly what the chamber would have been for. It’s commonly accepted that cavities were built into the pyramids to relieve stress on the stone and prevent them from collapsing, but many of these chambers also held an alternative purpose.
Scientists Believe The Hidden Chamber Is Capable of Creating Pocker Of Higher Energy
For centuries, many have speculated that the ancient Egyptian pyramids hold a higher energy. Now, scientists believe they may have some clues. After discovering the hidden chamber within the Great Pyramid, scientists conducted a study that found that the pyramid concentrates electromagnetic energy in its internal rooms.
Furthermore, they have discovered that the 481-foot building concentrates this electromagnetic energy in its hidden chambers. The higher energy has been found in the rooms that contain the remains of Pharoah Khufu and his wife as well as another chamber that was previously hidden.
King Tut’s Tomb Was Discovered in 1922
King Tut is arguably the most famous of all Egypt’s pharaohs. This is largely thanks to his elaborate tomb, which British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered in 1922. The entrance to Tutankhamen’s tomb is located in the Valley of the Kings and had been concealed by debris.
When the entrance was discovered more than 3,000 years later by Carter and his fellow archaeologist, George Herbert, they couldn’t believe what they found. Inside were grand paintings and excessive grave goods like perfumes, oils, jewelry, and statues. Three coffins were nestled inside each other, with the innermost coffin being made of gold and housing King Tut’s mummy.
It Took Over a Decade to Restore King Tut’s Tomb
In 2009, restoration began on King Tut’s tomb. On top of cleaning and restoring the paintings that line the interior walls of the tomb, the Getty Conservation Institute and the Egyptian Ministry of Antiques worked to combat the wear and tear caused by decades of tourist activity according to History.
The photo above shows the finished product of one of the interior walls that were cleaned. Altogether the conservation efforts took more than a decade.
Mysterious 100 Ton Boxes Were Found In The Intricate Tunnel System Below The Pyramids
Recently, archaeologist Brien Foerster discovered 20 boxes that were precisely cut from Aswan granite. These boxes weighed a whopping 100 tons each (again, far greater than what a wood implement could have carried). The boxes were originally thought to be a burial place for prized bulls, except no evidence of bulls was actually found.
Some scientists believe these boxes held a mysterious, ancient form of energy. This idea is widely rejected by mainstream scholars – but when you get into it, it really makes you think.
Archaeologists Baffled By Statue Discovered In Ancient Pyramid
On August 1, 2018, the head of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in Egypt announced that they had made an incredible new discovery in the pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara. During a restoration project, the team discovered a precious statue depicting one of the most important Egyptian Gods — Osiris.
This discovery has so far baffled archaeologists who are now wondering who placed a valuable figure into a hole within the pyramid and why. For now, the head of the Saqqara archaeological site is speculating that “the statue was probably concealed in this area by a priest of Saqqara in antiquity.”
The Great Pyramid Didn’t Actually Look Like It Does Now – It Was Shiny Like A Diamond
The Great Pyramid didn’t really blend in with the dirt and sand that surrounds it – that’s actually the inner core. In its heyday, the Great Pyramid was actually really, really impressive. It was covered in white, polished limestone that would have made it shine and sparkle. Cuts were made throughout this limestone to give it a smooth, flat appearance in direct sunlight (which Egypt definitely has plenty of considering it’s a desert).
The Great Pyramid was thought to have reflected the sun like a mirror – a jewel emerging from the sand — but an earthquake in 1303 AD caused most of these stones to loosen. They were taken away and reused in mosques and fortresses, so all that’s left in the inner shell that isn’t shiny or smooth.
Theorists Believe The Great Pyramid Was A Power Plant And Egyptians Had Electricity
History tells us that Egyptians were not an advanced society and the Pyramids of Giza were simply grand burial grounds for pharaohs and kings. Still, scientists are still baffled at how a primitive society with primitive tools could have built something so grand – and what about all those patches of heat? Plot twist: what if ancient Egypt wasn’t as primitive as we originally thought?
Some scholars believe that ancient Egypt had electricity, and there’s evidence in carvings that showed ancient Egyptians holding handheld torches that appeared to be powered by wireless electricity. It’s built on water and the water passing through the underground cavities in the Great Pyramid is capable of creating an electrical current if that energy could be harnessed. The shafts inside the Great Pyramid are crafted from granite and are slightly radioactive, which ionizes the air inside – it’s similar to a conductive insulating cable. Other scientists think the shafts had a different purpose.
Only The Great Pyramid Was Built With Air Shafts And No One Knows Why
The Great Pyramid is the only one of the three pyramids of Giza that have air shafts. The angles of these shafts correspond with celestial bodies (yup, we’re bringing astronomy and potential aliens into this). It’s a complete mystery how the Egyptians could have lined the shafts up with the stars or why they would have even bothered in the first place.
Perhaps it had something to do with guiding a body to the afterlife, perhaps it had to do with signaling aliens up above (probably not), but not all of these shafts even reach the outside. Some are completely closed off, while others could arguably have been used for ventilation, which is the most commonly accepted theory. Unless, of course, you believe they were used to conduct energy.
The New Chamber, Dubbed ‘The Big Void,’ Isn’t Connected To Any Known Passages
The new chamber discovered in November has been dubbed the “big void” because it really is a void. The chamber isn’t actually connected to any known passages inside the pyramid. Currently, visitors can actually get into the Grand Gallery if they hunch down and walk up a long tunnel. The Grand Gallery connects the Queen’s chamber and the King’s chamber.
That makes perfect sense for a giant burial ground, but where does that leave the big void? The giant cavity is at least 30 meters long and rests above the Grand Gallery, leading some scientists to think it possibly relieved weight on the Grand Gallery and prevented it from caving in. Either way, it’s roughly the same size as the Grand Gallery, but right above it.
The Three Pyramids Are Lined Up With Orion’s Belt
If things weren’t weird enough, it’s not just the shafts in the Great Pyramid that align with celestial bodies. Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure’s pyramids are perfectly aligned with the stars that make up Orion’s belt. Yes, those three, highly recognizable stars – Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. Why? No one knows.
Coincidentally, the pyramids are aligned at their southeast corners. How the heck did ancient Egyptians no only align these massive structures with each other but also with the sky? Again, no one knows. The idea of Orion’s Belt wasn’t invented until 2,000 years after the Pyramids were already built, but to Ancient Egyptians the constellation was associated with Osiris, God of Rebirth and the Afterlife.
Many People Believe The Pyramids Helped Kings Ascend To The God Of The Sun
If you’re not buying into the suspicion that the pyramids are alien structures or giant power plants, there’s another more recognized idea. The pyramids were built to help kings ascend to Sun Ra, the God of the Sun. Back in ancient Egyptian times, Kings thought of themselves as deities living on Earth.
Upon death, they needed to get back home. This is why tombs were equipped with objects the king might need to use in his afterlife, like live animals, gold or whatever the heck is generating heat inside the Great Pyramid’s lower chambers.
The Chambers Point North With Greater Precision Than The Royal Observatory, Greenwich
Could the ancient Egyptians have been more precise than our current civilization? The pyramids were found to point North, but not just in the general direction of North. It points North within five-hundredths of a degree to the true magnetic North. That’s more precise than the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.
The Royal Observatory, Greenwich sets the actual clock to GTC (Greenwich Mean Time or Prime Meridian Time) and is a whopping 13 degrees away from true North. It was created in 1675. If they couldn’t get true north just a few hundred years ago, what were the ancient Egyptians doing? How accurate were ancient Egyptian clocks compared to ours?
The Pyramids Show Knowledge Of Mathematical Constants
Here’s where things get really weird (if they weren’t already). If you subtract the Great Pyramid’s length from its height, you get 314.16 – 100 times Pi. If you add the two sides together, in meters, it’s 100 times Phi (a.k.a. the Golden Number) squared. Phi is 1.618 and is used time and time again in art, architecture, and theology.
Pi is a mathematical constant and it wasn’t recognized until 1793 when we had modern measurements – but the ancient Egyptians totally were ahead of the times. Ancient Egyptians often measured in cubits. One cubit equals .0536 meters. The circumference of a circle that has the diameter of a single cubit equals Pi.
