The construction of the great pyramids

The method of construction of the great pyramids is a question which remains shrouded in mystery. However, three historians named Erich von Daniken, Clifford Wilson, and Joseph Davidovits have devised theories which attempt to explain this wonder. The three theories are well developed; However, Davidovits’ theory explains many of the unanswered questions of the pyramids that the other two theories cannot account for. Despite all the strengths of Davidovits’ theory, it still has some flaws, including the question of whether or not the Egyptians actually had the technology to cast blocks from concrete. Daniken’s Theory, although explanatory of some of the mysteries that surround the pyramids, is based of the unprecedented event that extraterrestrials landed on earth. Most of Daniken’s evidence is either explainable or pure coincidence. The theory provided by Wilson is nearly as unlikely as Daniken’s due to the fact that Wilson’s theorized method of construction would require an amount of labour and that the Egyptians did not possess, as well as tools that they could not have created. Daniken’s and Wilson’s theories are clearly surpassed by Davidovits’ more explanatory and more probably version of events.

Although Davidovits’ theory evidently explains a more reasonable approach to the construction of the pyramids, it still has several flaws. The biggest of these flaws is the issue of whether the ancient Egyptians possessed the technology to create artificial stone. It seems unlikely that a people who lived 4500 years ago would have mastered the skills necessary to produce a 6 500 000 ton monument from artificial stones. Even if they did have this capability, it seems less likely that they would be able to mass produce the blocks on the scale required to build the pyramids. Nonetheless, Davidovits counters this argument by theorizing that the Egyptians could produce the blocks through alchemy. Davidovits states that the Egyptians were advanced enough in the art of alchemy to perform the mummification process, therefore it is also possible that they were scientifically advanced enough to create concrete. Furthermore, the Egyptians worshipped a god named Khnum, whose worship was related to alchemical stone making. “During the old kingdom, the prestige of the god Khnum, the divine potter who was one of the creators of the universe, reached its peak.” (Davidovits, J., 4) Is it a coincidence that the Egyptians devoutly worshipped a god associated with artificial stone making during the time period when they built the great pyramids? Although it is not known for certain whether the Egyptians were capable of making concrete, Davidovits’ theory highlights some evidence which strongly suggests they possessed this technology.