The Construction of the Great
Pyramid: A Mystery Solved
Ancient
Egypt had been the land of mysteries and many of the great constructions, done
under the patronage of the Egyptian pharaohs, still instigate debates and
discussions among the scholars and laymen alike. But above all these debates
and discussions is the fact that, such construction processes are still
considered mysterious. The Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the wonders of the world,
is one of those terrific and gigantic constructions which have given rise to
myriads of theories meant to solve the mystery of the creation of such a
geometrically perfect structure of a huge size without the aid of any modern
machinery, tools, and equipments. But
there are two theories which should be considered feasible in terms of
explaining the construction mystery of the Great Pyramid of Giza and among
these two theories – theory of Herodotus, and Dr. Joseph Davidovits, the theory
of Herodotus seems more feasible and at par with the evidences.
The
Greek historian, Herodotus, in 450 BC, suggested that the Great Pyramid of Giza
was built on the basis of the process of the stairs-making. Herodotus opined
that, when the Egyptians first made this base, they “lifted the remaining
stones with levers [lit. machines] made of short timbers, lifting them from the ground to
the first tier of steps, and, as soon as the stone was raised upon this, it was
placed on another lever, which stood on the first tier, and from there it was
dragged up to the second tier and on to another lever” (“Some Alternate
Theories of Pyramid Construction”, n.d.). This was the basic assumption of
Herodotus in respect of the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza. And it
must be noted that, in around 450 BC Herodotus visited Egypt and by then the
Great Pyramid of Giza was already 2,000 years old and after his visit Herodotus
indicated that machines were used to raise the huge blocks of stones which
constitute the Pyramid, and this machine can only be equated to modern day
cranes (Brier, 2007).
In
the book, “The Pyramids: An Enigma Solved,”, French scientist, Dr. Joseph Davidovits, has proposed a very
different theory regarding the construction of the Great Pyramid. According to
Dr. Davidovits, the blocks that were used to build the Great Pyramid “were not
quarried but rather made of a geopolymeric cement. Limestone blocks did not
have to be cut, finished, or even moved at all. Instead, buckets of slurry were
simply toted up the pyramid by men who poured it into a wooden mold” (“Some
Alternate Theories of Pyramid Construction”, n.d.). Hence, it can be seen that
Dr. Davidovits ignored the transport theory stating about the upward movement
of large blocks of stones in the process of the pyramid-making.
But
Herodotus’ theory seems more feasible than that of Dr. Davidovits’. As a matter
of fact, Herodotus’ assumption that machines were used in the construction of
the Great Pyramid can be related to the evidences that prove the use of
effective tools by the Egyptian in the construction processes. It is a fact
that, “Large stone blocks had recesses, or sometimes projecting bosses (that
were later removed) built into them to facilitate the use of levers” (). Davidovitt’s
theory doesn’t go at par with the archaeological and historical evidences.
Davidovitt ignored the theory of the use of machines and tools in the
construction of the Great Pyramid but it is a fact that his work failed to
provide a reason to explain the “existing quarries, the abundance of tools
found during the Third and Fourth Dynasties, and the decrease in Pyramid
quality after the Fourth Dynasty” (“Some Alternate Theories of Pyramid
Construction”, n.d.).
Hence,
it can be concluded that Herodotus’ theory seems more feasible in terms of
solving the mystery behind the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
(634
words)
References
Brier,
B. (2007). How to Build a Pyramid. ARCHAEOLOGY,
60(3), Retrieved July 25, 2015, from http://archive.archaeology.org/0705/etc/pyramid.html
Some Alternate Theories of Pyramid
Construction (n.d.). Retrieved July 25, 2015, from http://www.catchpenny.org/theories.html
