Why Scientists Are Still Searching for Answers About Egypt’s Pyramids
LONDON — Recent excavations of 5,000-year-old tombs in Jabal Al-Tayr on the east bank of the Nile sparked fresh media excitement about the origins of Egypt’s pyramids, though experts caution that the link between these early structures and the iconic monuments may be less direct than headlines suggest.
The tombs, built several centuries before the first true pyramids appeared, featured subterranean stone walls thicker at the bottom and thinner toward the top. While some news reports claimed the discovery rewrites the history of pyramid architecture, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities stated more cautiously that the style “may represent an early stage” in the development of geometric thought that later influenced pyramid design.
Roland Enmarch, reader in Egyptology at the University of Liverpool, told Arab News that Egyptologists are divided on whether such early structures represent the prehistory of the pyramid form. “The current opinion is that, most likely, there isn’t a direct link,” he said.
The first true pyramid, the step-pyramid at Saqqara built by Pharaoh Djoser between 2670 and 2650 B.C., marked a revolutionary shift from the rectangular mudbrick tombs known as mastabas. Over the next few generations, the Egyptians refined the technology, culminating in the Red Pyramid built by Sneferu around 2595 B.C., regarded as the first successful true pyramid with smooth sides.
His son, Khufu, went on to build the Great Pyramid at Giza between 2580 and 2560 B.C. Standing over 146 meters high, it remained the world’s tallest structure for more than 3,700 years.
Yet despite centuries of study, the fundamental question of how the ancient Egyptians raised millions of stone blocks—some weighing up to 80 tonnes—remains unsettled. The most widely accepted theory involves ramps, though calculating their configuration presents challenges. Recent proposals include hydraulic systems or integrated edge-ramps, but no single explanation has gained unanimous support.
Enmarch noted that basic technology can achieve more than people imagine. “The degree to which the base of the Great Pyramid deviates from being a true square is tiny,” he said, a testament to the extraordinary skill of its builders.
The pyramids continued to be built for about a thousand years until around 1525 B.C., when rulers began choosing tombs carved into the Valley of the Kings. Why they stopped building the structures that still captivate the modern world remains another open mystery.
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