Mystery Solved, Here's How Ancient Egyptians Built The Pyramids

Egyptian Pyramids (Unsplash)

JAKARTA - An archaeologist claims to have solved the mystery surrounding the Egyptian Pyramids. He found a "flaw" in the building.

The Egyptian expert believes he has the answer to how ancient civilizations were able to build such complex structures, despite the lack of modern technology.

Researchers from the United States-based Glen Dash Research Foundation and the Ancient Egyptian Research Association (AERA) previously identified 'defects' in the structure of the building.

A popular theory suggests that the 4,500-year-old structure, which is estimated to weigh more than six million tonnes, was built after boulders were removed from a nearby quarry, dragged and lifted into place.

Experts found that the three sides of the base of the pyramid were between 230,295 meters and 230,373 meters, but the west side was between 230,378 meters and 230,436 meters - which means that it fell about 14.1 cm.

However, the sides fit perfectly together, along with the cardinal points of the north, south, east and west, with Egypt's three largest pyramids - two at Giza and one in Dahshur - perfectly aligned.

Archaeologist and engineer Glen Dash said: "All three pyramids show the same error, they are rotated slightly counter-clockwise from the cardinal points."

There are many hypotheses about how ancient workers did this, including using polar stars to align the pyramids or the shadow of the Sun - but Dash claims he has solved the mystery.

His research, published in The Journal of Ancient Egyptian Architecture, shows that the Egyptians used the autumn equinox to achieve perfect alignment.

The Earth is tilted on its axis, meaning that when orbiting the Sun, the star illuminates more of the northern or southern hemisphere depending on its orbit.

However, at two points in the year, the Sun will evenly illuminate the northern and southern hemispheres, which is known as the equinox.

The expert also pointed out a similar error rate to that found in the alignment of the pyramids of Khufu and Khafre at Giza, and the Red pyramids at Dahshur.

Despite the compelling arguments, there is still no solid evidence that this is the case.

"No engineering documents or architectural plans have been found that provide a technical explanation that shows how the ancient Egyptians aligned any of their temples or pyramids," Mr. Dash concluded in his report.