Episode 108: The Pyramids of Giza
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On this episode of The Sofa King Podcast, we discuss different theories about the pyramids of ancient Egypt. How were they built? Why were they built? Could we build them today? These are questions we found interesting to wrestle with. We start with a good discussion based on listener comments about the pyramids that we received though social media. Then, we explore various theories about the construction of the pyramids and the levels of technology the builders were capable of. A man named Graham Hancock is a big proponent of alternate views of pyramids, their construction, and their purpose. (Brent loves him, but I found him to be a blowhard…)
From there, we take a stab at bad and ridiculous pyramid theories. We start with ex-presidential candidate Ben Carson’s comments that the pyramids were grain silos built by the Bible’s Joseph and the crazy theories that they were built by Noah. A look at an article from The Watchtower that claims the pyramids were built by Satan (and are in fact Satan’s Bible in stone) comes next as does a discussion—though brief—about them being built by space aliens.
The most interesting concept we came across was one shared by author Chris Massey who suggests they were built using canals and atmospheric water pressure to float the massive blocks into place. The physics are feasible and realistic, and the ancients would have had all the technology to pull this one off. Also, we look at the ideas of the pyramids of Giza being giant electrical batteries either by design or accident—a theory that we thought was ridiculous at first but surprisingly come around to (thanks largely to Nikola Tesla and the so-called Battery of Baghdad). So, give this one a listen and see where we land on ancient Egyptians, their technology, ancient space aliens, and giant canals. You may also enjoy an ongoing argument about a thirty-foot light bulb. Stranger things have happened.