The Apex of Truth
Debunking Myths of the Great Pyramids
Skepticism sobered me up after three bottles of Heineken. My Jain friend was marvelling that the Great Pyramids (or to be more accurate, the Pyramids of Giza) were still unexplained mysteries as their apexes point directly to the three stars of the Orion's Belt.
Which led me to rabbit-hole a claim called the Orion Correlation Theory. It's a fascinating but flawed argument about the alignment of the Giza pyramids. Pseudo-archaeologists like Robert Bauval wrote best-selling books that rehashed old (and totally made-up) Jewish-Masonic plot so beloved by ultra-right-wing conspiracy theorists. The premise was that the locations of the Giza pyramids were aligned exactly with the constellation of Orion.
Thankfully, two astronomers — Ed Krupp of Griffith Observatory and Tony Fairall of University of Cape Town — called bullshit and pointed out that the pyramids' angles were 38º whereas the three stars were between 47 to 50º. Krupp and Fairall, both whom investigated independently, further found that Bauval had even inverted the pyramid's map. Furthermore, if the Sphinx was to symbolise the constellation of Leo, then it should be on the far side of the Nile, where Virgo is instead.
Conspiracy debunked!
Which brings me to the sexy notion that the Giza Pyramids were either built by aliens, Jewish slaves or men from Atlantis (I ♡ Patrick Duffy). The fact that non-whites were capable of building a mathematically-complex and magnificent structure rubbed badly on Frank Joseph.
Frank (real name: Frank Collin) was a zionist and a member of the American Nazi Party. He published several books dedicated to the mythical land of Atlantis, to propagate that brown middle-easterners did not have the knowledge, technology or capability of that of white caucasians.
These "alternative" histories may seem harmless and entertaining. But they were invariably heavily biased against natives, Blacks, Arabs and Asians. For over a century, many of archaeological sites in Africa, Middle East, Asia, and the Americas were constantly investigated and examined for proofs. Yet, the achievements of those who lived in ancient Greece or Italy were rarely questioned. Truth be told, archaeology was a racist industry for over a century. Thankfully, things have changed.
In 2013, a papyri diary written by a supervisor named Merer over 4,500 years ago gave us an insight into how ancient Egyptians built the pyramids (2,550 to 2,490 BCE).
Merer's writings, written in hieroglyphs, recount daily tasks by him and his crew. He recorded how huge limestones were transported through the Nile River, and that each of them, weighing 2 1⁄2-ton, were hauled using ramps, pulleys and ingenuity.
Merer's diary even detailed how this "last surviving Wonder of the Ancient World" was meticulously planned. Workers were housed in optimal conditions, clothed in appropriate attire, and fed with dates, vegetables, poultry and meat. The nearby towns' residents were engaged to provide the necessary supplies, which in turn contributed to their economy.
The pyramids were built as monuments to house the tombs of the pharaohs, as death was seen as the beginning of a journey to the other world. For the living, the tomb art inside the complex pyramids offers a visual account of how the ancient Egyptians lived — farming, tending livestock, fixing, carpentry, costumes, religious rituals and burial practices — in a truly sophisticated civilised society.
The Diary of Merer is described as "the greatest discovery in Egypt in the 21st century", and can be seen at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
If you don't fancy travelling there, you could just take a virtual tour of the museum while enjoying beer like ancient Egyptians do.