Why do some people think that the pyramids of Egypt are fake? Or did aliens build it?

Last year, Musk tweeted that the pyramids in Egypt were built by aliens. Subsequently, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation machat forwarded the tweet and invited him to visit the pyramids in Egypt. From alien construction theory to modern forgery theory, it is nothing new to question the pyramids. These voices also highlight people's amazement at such a great building.

This issue of Q&A continues to invite Yan, a professor of Peking University History Department and director of Peking University Institute of Ancient Oriental Civilization, to explore the mysterious ancient Egypt.

Is the pyramid a forgery?

@OOOrange: Why do some people think that the pyramids are fake?

Yan: There are many legends about pyramids since ancient times. From the theory of alien construction in the past to the theory of modern forgery now, in the final analysis, the public does not understand why such a huge project can be completed with the productivity of ancient Egypt, and what is the significance of building pyramids. However, in the eyes of Egyptian scholars, pyramids, a form of tombs, have a very clear development track.

The earliest ancient Egyptian tombs took the shape of the tomb of Mastaba, which means "bench" in Arabic. This tomb is also a rectangular building. The stepped pyramid of King Jorsell in the third dynasty is obviously an "enhanced version" of this square mausoleum-it transformed a one-story flat building into a six-story superimposed building. Before the construction of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, which we are familiar with, there were actually many pyramids with transitional characteristics, such as the three pyramids of Khufu's father and Snefru, the king of the fourth dynasty. Yes, the king built three pyramids in one breath, and the most typical one is the "arc pyramid", that is, halfway through the construction, he found that the original angle was wrong, and temporarily changed the slope of 54 degrees to 43 degrees, resulting in the "arc" appearance we see today. After the completion of the three "real pyramids" on the Giza Plateau, the kings still used the pyramids as their tombs until the Middle Kingdom hundreds of years later. Even in the new kingdom, pyramids are still an important element in the tombs of ancient Egyptians. Therefore, the pyramid does not appear and disappear out of thin air, and its origin and development are traceable.

Wikipedia, the only curved pyramid in the world.

Secondly, the pyramid is not an isolated building, but a supporting sacrificial temple, a valley temple and even a warehouse for storing offerings. These are all found in archaeological excavations, and the age and shape of the building match the pyramid. The purpose of these supporting buildings is to provide a steady stream of offerings for the king and ensure his well-being in the afterlife. In the 5th Dynasty, the inscription of the pyramid appeared on the inner wall of the pyramid, which was the earliest tomb document in ancient Egypt, in order to enable the king to complete the transformation of his soul and ascend to heaven.

In terms of religious connotation, these inscriptions are also in the same strain as the tomb documents of later generations. In terms of technology, we should not underestimate the wisdom of ancient people. Although there are still many viewpoints in the process of building the pyramids, we know from the history at that time that the kingship of Egypt was highly concentrated in the fourth dynasty, and the king had a strong ability to allocate resources nationwide. In addition, some signs during the construction of the Great Pyramid show that the Egyptians at that time probably mastered some method of dealing with hard stones and applied it to the construction of temples thousands of years later, so today we can witness so many megalithic buildings in Egypt.

Finally, the records of the pyramids also appeared in many periods of Egyptian history. Aside from the descriptions of Herodotus and other classical writers, as early as in the literary works of the Middle Kingdom, there was a description of "the horizon of Khufu", which was the name of the Great Pyramid, indicating that people at that time already knew its existence, but it was not like what we now call the "pyramid". When I was in the new kingdom, some scribes wrote down their feelings of "this trip" at the bottom of the pyramid in Sneiferu, praising the king's temple as "heaven" and "fragrance as rain". Although these records are scattered, they are enough to prove that pyramid architecture still has awesome power in the eyes of ancient Egyptians.

The pyramid forgery theory is actually the product of the rise of nationalism in recent decades. We should treat history with a scientific and objective attitude and be proud of our own civilization, which does not mean belittling the history of others. Every ancient civilization is precious and unique.

It means beyond the mausoleum

@ Crystal Transparency: Emperors all over the world have paid great attention to the rest of the dead, the choice and protection of tombs, etc. But why did only Egypt build such a huge pyramid as a tomb? What's the special significance? Besides being the tomb of Pharaoh, what other important functions and uses do pyramids have?

Yan Yinghai: In addition to restoring the king's belief in the afterlife, the pyramids actually reflect the ancient Egyptian concept of creation. As a symbol, it stands on the horizon and shows the primitive hills in Heliopolis's creation myth, which is related to the early worship of the sun god ATEM. In fact, before the completion of the Aswan Dam, the Nile water rose to the bottom of the pyramid every year. The convex pyramid surrounded by Nile water rises like a primitive hill in the primitive waters of Nun. The stupid stone at the tip of the pyramid is the place where the first ray of sunlight shines on the place of creation, and it is also the place where the phoenix bird Benu lives. In addition, scholars also found that this kind of building may be related to the operation of stars when studying inscriptions and pyramid orientation. Therefore, the construction of the pyramids itself actually reflects the Egyptian world outlook and creative concept.

Your second question is also crucial. Pyramids do have many functions besides tombs. In fact, the pyramid itself is only a part of the whole pyramid complex, and there can be many building structures with different functions in this complex. For example, two very special landmarks were found in the courtyard south of the Zuosaier Pyramid, which appeared in the scene of the once-in-a-decade Sadr Festival held by the Pharaoh. On the east side of this courtyard, there is also a special architectural structure related to the above-mentioned festivals, indicating that this important festival was held in the pyramid complex. For another example, in the east of the Hafra Pyramids, there are Pharaoh's funeral temples and valley temples, as well as causeways connecting them. Rows of bases of Pharaoh statues and complete gneiss statues were found in the valley temple, indicating that this area was originally related to the worship ceremony of Pharaoh. These sacrificial areas not only played a role in the burial of Pharaoh, but also continued to be worshipped by priests afterwards.

In addition, the pyramids of Pharaoh can also be the center of a burial area. Many great pyramids are surrounded by the little golden pagoda of the Queen or the graves of other ministers. Sometimes, around pyramid buildings, there are special settlements for pyramid builders and priests to live in. For example, Heit el-Ghurab in Giza was a town built during the period of khalaf and Menkara, where workers settled until the Fifth Dynasty, and there were still traces of living here. It can be said that the pyramid complex is not only the center of ceremonies and tombs, but also promotes the formation of surrounding settlements.

Proofreading: Ding Xiao