Physicists Just Figured Out How the Egyptian Pyramids Were Built

Speculation has long existed about how the ancient Egyptians built the great pyramids – constructed from heavy stone blocks – ranging from rolling sleds over logs to aliens.

In the dry desert, researchers had never before thought about the possibility of water being used to aid their assembly.

But, now scientists may have finally figured out how the ancient Egyptians constructed the pyramids – and it may have been under their noses the whole time, writes Fox News.

Researchers picked up on clues left behind by the ancient Egyptians themselves; a wall painting discovered in the ancient tomb of Djehutihotep, which dates back to about 1900 B.C., depicts 172 men hauling a large statue using ropes attached to a sledge. A person can be seen standing on the front of the sledge, pouring liquid over the sand, said study lead author Daniel Bonn, a physics professor at the University of Amsterdam, according to LiveScience.com.

The researchers published their findings this week in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Many people believe that the pyramids are a link to an ancient lost civilization, and may still contain evidence to prove it. Many conspiracy theories regarding secret chambers and passageways within the pyramids exist to this day.

These conspiracy theories became even more widespread in 1993, when Dr. Zahi Hawass announced that the Great Pyramid of Khufu was to be closed to the public for a year. The reason given for the closure was to facilitate cleaning, conservation and restoration of the interior chambers in the Great Pyramid.

However, conspiracy theorists believe that the Egyptian authorities had uncovered evidence of a lost civilization in the pyramid, and were secretly excavating it to reveal more information.

In February, archeologists discovered a 4,600-year-old step pyramid which predates the Great Pyramid of Giza by several decades.

The pyramid, in the ancient settlement of Edfu, was built from sandstone blocks and clay mortar and stands at 16 feet high with the original structure being closer to 40 feet high, say archeologists.

Known as a step pyramid, these structures were not used for royal burial and contain no inner chamber as the famous Giza pyramid. They are similar in design to the famous step pyramid built by Pharaoh Djoser (2670-2640 B.C.)

Agencies/Canadajournal