Ancient pyramids are by far one of the greatest relics of our
world. For millenniums they have stood in our sight withholding their secrets
for the world to wonder about them. How were they built? What’s inside? What do
the writings on the wall say? Read on and find out 24 facts about ancient
pyramids that most people don’t know.
1. Because of
their delicate nature, many rooms inside discovered ancient pyramids have yet
to be explored by modern day humans.
Hollywood would lead you to
believe that many ancient pyramids around the world contain inaccessible areas
because of booby traps, hidden-doors, and/or ancient curses, but the truth is
that many of these areas have been filled with sand and sealed after their
construction as they were solely used for workers to access other areas or as a
source of oxygen.
Other areas cannot be explored because the structures are simply
too old and historians fear destroying precious artifacts
2. . Researchers now believe Egyptians used wet sand to
reduce friction in order to move the large stones to build the pyramids.
For years scientists, archaeologists, and conspiracy
theorists have been trying to figure out how Egyptians were able to move such
large pieces of stone to construct the pyramids. Recently a wall painting that
has been misinterpreted as a ritualistic ceremony has been revealed to be to be
an illustration of the practice used to move the stones
3. The Great
Pyramid of Giza is the only surviving ancient
wonder of the world.
Out of the 7 ancient wonders of the world the Great Pyramid
still stands today. It took the Egyptians 20 years to build it and it was
finally completed in 2560 BC. It was the largest structure in the world for
nearly 4,000 years until the Lincoln cathedral was built c. 1300 AD
3. It took 18 years to explore
the shafts inside the Queens chamber of the Great Pyramid.
In 1993 German engineer Rudolf Gantenbrink took a first
attempt at exploring the shafts by using a crawler robot. After climbing
more that 200ft he discovered that one of the shafts was blocked by what
appeared to be doors made of limestone and eroded copper that seemed to be
handles.
After
a second attempt in 2002, where National Geographic Society discovered another
wall behind the original one, the Djedi Project (in 2011) used a micro-snake
camera that was able to see around corners rather than look straight ahead.
They successfully discovered hieroglyphics written in red paint as well as
determine that the limestone had a polished back end, which could mean it was
there for a greater reason. They also believe that the copper was there
for decorative purposes.
4. Many pyramids have false doors that Egyptians believed were a
connection between the worlds of the living and the dead.
The false doors were usually used as offering chapels for
family members to place offerings for the deceased. The majority of these doors
face the west side of the pyramids do to Ancient Egyptians associating the west
with death
5. Over 2 Million stones blocks
were used to build The Great Pyramid of Giza covering nearly 15 acres of land.
Historian and archaeologist John Romer believes that a 1 – 1
scale model of the pyramid was built on the ground before construction thus
explaining the unmatched precision of the construction. Experts estimate
that the pyramid weighs over 5 million tons. Thirty times larger than the
Empire State Building, the Pyramid’s features are so large they can be seen
from the Moon
6. Hieroglyphics were not
discovered in the Great Pyramid until recently in 2011.
It may seem hard to believe but prior to 2011 there were no
known hieroglyphics inside the Great Pyramid. After a very tedious exploration
(see fact 6) some red paint was found in a previously inaccessible area
that historians believe to be hieroglyphics.
7. Without modern day
technology the builders of the Great Pyramid were able to point the pyramid
towards True North by using astrology.
The construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza is by itself is a modern marvel. While researchers are
already baffled by the Egyptians ability during that time period, scientists,
historians, archaeologists and astrologists are trying to figure out how they
managed to align the pyramid to True North using only their knowledge of
astrology
8. The builders of the
pyramids also had their own tombs. Over 600 graves have been discovered.
This first graves were unearthed in 1990 by tourists.
Archaeologist Zahi Hawass believes that this may mean that the slaves were
paid laborers rather than the slaves they’ve been perpetrated to be
in Hollywood films
9. The Great Sphinx that
guards the Great Pyramids is the largest monolith statue in the world.
The Great Sphinx, like the Great Pyramids was made out of limestone.
It’s still debated as to who carved the stone and for what reason. It is
generally believed that it was built in 2500 BC for the king pharaoh Khafra
10. During the 12th
century Kurdish ruler Al-Aziz attempted to destroy the pyramids
and succeeded in damaging them.
Near the end of the 12th century Al-Aziz attempted to destroy
the Great Pyramids. His workers, who were unable to remove more than 2
stones a day found the process to be more of a liability than to build the
actual pyramids themselves
11. Regardless of the heat
around it the temperature inside the Great Pyramids stays the relatively the
same.
The air shafts built into the pyramids allow the
pyramids interior temperature to remain at a constant 68 degrees
Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius).
12. The pyramid of Giza
actually has 8 sides to it, but the effect can only be seen from the sky.
The center of each main side is indented thus making the pyramid
have 8 sides. It’s not visible to the naked eye and is best seen from above
when the sun draws shadow on it
13. Scientists and historians have been able to figure out what the Great Pyramids may have looked like years ago.
Being made from polished limestone the pyramids would reflect the sun thus emanating a beacon of light that could be seen from miles away.
14. Egypt isn’t the country
with the most pyramids. Nubia, Sudan is home to 250 pyramids that were built
nearly 800 years after the pyramids in ancient Egypt.
The Nubian pyramids were built by the rulers of the Kingdom
of Kush an ancient African Kingdom located in what is now the Republic of
Sudan. All of the tombs have been plundered centuries ago
15. Contrary to popular belief, the largest pyramid in the world is in Mexico.
While the Great Pyramid of Giza is the tallest Pyramid in the world the Great Pyramid of Cholula is in fact the largest with a volume of 4.5 million cubic meters