Rewriting History
[vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][vc_single_image image="18578" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_single_image image="20148" border_color="grey" img_link_target="_self" img_size="full"][vc_column_text] By Alex Wright [/vc_column_text][vc_separator type="transparent" position="center" up="30"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text] [caption id="attachment_20150" align="alignright" width="731"] The Great Pyramids of Giza - the pyramid of Menkaure 215 feet; the great pyramid of Khufu, 481 feet; the Pyramid of Khafre 448 feet. [/caption] How the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids matters to climate change. Spoiler alert: We may be wrong about how the ancient Egyptians built the Great Pyramids. Decades of schoolchildren are taught the prevailing theory: The pyramids were constructed from enormous blocks of solid stone, cut by hand from far away quarries, and hauled across the searing desert sands. We imagine—thanks in large part to Cecil B. DeMille—thousands of shirtless, sweating slaves harnessed to thick hemp ropes, dragging enormous square blocks of stone up steep ramps. The feat seems so incredible that some wonder whether the Egyptians had help from other planets. Always a rational voice in the room, Neil deGrasse Tyson counters, “Just because you can’t figure out how ancient civilizations built stuff, doesn’t mean they got help from aliens.” Figuring out how the pyramids were built has interesting applications beyond Egyptology. Today’s building materials do not have an expected lifespan anywhere near 4,000 years. And...