Jean-Pierre Houdin spent a couple of decades working as an independent architect around Paris. Then, his career took a big turn. Working with his father, Houdin tried to crack an ancient mystery — how were the great pyramids of Egypt built?
Throughout the centuries, various theories have been put forth. Herodotus, who visited Egypt around 450 B.C., speculated that some “machines” were involved. Others thought that mounds serving as ramps played a central role in the construction. And still others have guessed that extraterrestrials were the real builders (seriously).
Now Houdin enters into the debate with what Egyptologist Bob Brier calls a “radical new theory.” Using state-of-the-art 3‑D software, Houdin has concluded that the bottom portion of the pyramids were built with an external ramp, and the upper portions with internal ramps. Brier summarizes the theory rather well in this short article.
Houdin’s work has focused particularly on the Great Pyramid of Giza, otherwise known as the Pyramid of Khufu, built circa 2500 B.C. (See image here). And he has gone so far as to create a 3D interactive film that visually documents his hypothesis. We’ve embedded a good clip above. You can also head to Khufu Reborn to get the full interactive experience. (Note: You’ll need a PC, 3D glasses and some downloadable plugins to make it all work.)
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Hey Dan!
Nice article you wrote! I wanted to point out that there’s a new video for that topic here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SSj0lWJNSc
Best,
Rémi
Not buying the harmonics theory?
Just another theory, this guy actually worked it out in simple physics and can be reproduced without vast numbers of people
Ok if this is true then let’s see it built! I think you’ll find it fails! Understanding the achievement of the Pyramids requires an understanding that human beings and the earth evolve and have had different capabilities through the eons..
Let’s say it’s Wednesday. You go back in time to Tuesday and place a block on the ground. You then go back to Monday and place a block on the ground in the exact same place. That is what happened.
Hi
I’m Petros Petrosyan.
I now live in Chicago.
Attention please!
1. The pyramid is not a sepulcher of Pharaoh and the purpose of its construction was not on this plane.
2. The huge volume of the information is ciphered with use of the geometrical form of a pyramid.
3. The basic model of the Pyramid cipher was established.
The basic model of the code of a pyramid is formed of 365 small pyramids which consist at 14 steps of model of the code.
Pyramid is ciphered message, It is simply improbable.
Please Go to: http://www.world-mysteries.com/pex_PPetrosyan1.htm
Full Article: http://files.mail.ru/H5RKPO ;
Thanks, Petros M.Petrosyan
could the pyramids have been built to protect people from solar flares prior to the erosion of thus they were covered in a reflective layer and this show i was watching stated that the pyramids protected a hand full of egytians from a solar flare and with the longevity of there existance could point toward the fact that aside from a profatic use the pyramids could have been built in an effort to ensure the survival of futur generations
DIS WEB PAGE IS WACK ! BRO LIKE FOR REAL THOUU ! *
Brian — We have barely evolved since the upper paleolithic (14,000 years ago). If an ancient egyptian baby was born now then he/she would have probably as much capability at computer science when it grew up as we do now.
Awsome , I,m always looking at this stuff
Oh well kids, stop talking about Aliens, it’s always aliens aliens aliens aliens with you, shut up.
In the pyramide years, Villagers had nothing better to do than build, farm, eat and sleep.
There’s 24hours a day, it always been like that, Earth haven’t changed since this time. So, what do you do when you’re not sleeping? First years of your life you can play and learn, when you become an adult, what do you do? You’re not having fun playing anymore and you can’t have fun with TV and work 8hours a day for you paid…
That’s probably why they were building pyramids, they had time for it, and it’s kinda gratifiant to know that you have build this.
If you had to this a pharaon which could be compared to a dictator and an idiot with a book saying ”If you don’t do that the gods will kill you” like Christians and Muslims…
There’s no reason to look over space.
Finally someone with a brain!!! I applaud to you sir.
Thank you, someone who knows the archaeology!
Thank you, someone who knows the archaeology!
Clearly the videos author is an alien. Seriously, Jesus built the pyramids. Everyone knows that. Duh.
Hey Dan, good article.
I admire the work of mr. Houdin but it is very sophisticated.
There is another and more simple investigation, interesting to know.
See next link:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/101327184/The-Great-Pyramid-built-with-Rolling-Stones
The pyramid blocks were cast out of limestone, lime and diatomaceous earth.
Hi Dan, just fyi, the image you linked to in the article for the Great Pyramid is actually a photo of Khafre’s Pyramid, the middle of three on the Giza Necropolis.
What a feat! They were studs. Amazing to theorize on how this was done!
Truly fascinating, but the pyramids weren’t just built by “workers”. They were built by slaves. To not call them as such is disrespectful to the long, rich history of the Jewish people. That said, I’m fully aware that social justice is not the point of this video.
WRONG!nnnThe Jews weren’t enslaved until likely the reigns of Seti I and Ramses II in the New Kingdom period; and they would have built cities and temples, NOT pyramids. The pyramids were built during the Old Kingdom period.nnnAnd the pyramids were built by the farmers during the flood season where they couldn’t work the fields.nnnAnd BTW I’m a Jew with a lot of Egyptology knowledge, so don’t even TRY to disagree
WRONG!nnnThe Jews weren’t enslaved until likely the reigns of Seti I and Ramses II in the New Kingdom period; and they would have built cities and temples, NOT pyramids. The pyramids were built during the Old Kingdom period.nnnAnd the pyramids were built by the farmers during the flood season where they couldn’t work the fields.nnnAnd BTW I’m a Jew with a lot of Egyptology knowledge, so don’t even TRY to disagree
“To not call them as such is disrespectful to the long, rich history of the Jewish people.”
What are you talking about? There’s no evidence outside of the Old Testament indicating that the Hebrews ever inhabited Pharaonic Egypt. What’s more, we have records of the wages that the workers were paid.
Actually archaeological evidence shows that there was a Hebrew population in Egypt at the possible time of the Exodus. The thing is that that would have likely been in the reigns of Seti I and Ramses II, and not the time of the pyramids
quand vous complantez les pyramides & les empires antiques de toutes cette époque . dis moi comment on t ils fais pour bouger des masses de pierres qui font des tonnes & étre aussi bien aligner . je crois pas a la théories d esclaves avec leurs simples outils. quand on regarde bien les pierres ont été travailler avec des machines . certains scientifiques disent bien qu une aide est bien venu de l espace . moi aussi je suis certaine . je suis consciente que des mondes existe comme le notre les pyramides & bien autres choses nous le prouves .
This all seems really complicated and I don’t understand enginimeering and such. So I’m just gonna go with aliens.
state-of-the-art? That presentation needs some work. The workers are also a little too white.
Dan —
Dangerous Minds was where I found my link via Facebook.
-Tim
This is laughable. The size of the actual blocks used in the building are 20 times the size shown in the video. No wonder he was an unemployed er, independent architect for 20 yrs.
Who built the pyramids and why? who knows but it was certainly not the pharaohs.They align with Orions belt 11,500 years ago.The civilisation during the time of the pharaohs evolved around the all ready constructed Giza pyramids.When the Egyptians tried to copy the Giza pyramids they screwed them up and built monuments instead and buried their dead royalty in a hole in the ground.If the ancients did in fact have the will,knowledge and intelligence to construct such wonders what did they do after they finished them,go back to being stupid? One wonders because you would expect some other legacy from the knowledge gained from building such unbelievable structures,roads,bridges,town planning perhaps,but alas not much.nWonder who did build them?
Who: Farmers during the flood season.nnnIt’s common knowledge!
The Earth being flat was common knowledge. The Earth being the center of the galaxy and universe was common knowledge.
Who: Farmers during the flood season.nnnIt’s common knowledge!
Look into Christopher Dunn. The modified hydraulic ram pump in the lower sections of the great pyramid show us they floated the blocks into place. There is also ruminants of a wall. Jilt around the pyramid like they were enclosing water like locksn
Remnants*
this theory is nonsens…its so hard to do tunnels inside of pyramids like this. how they cover this tunnels after they finish? and how they build this tunnels inside of pyramids? I cant imagin how. well I can but for me is so complicated for realisation. You need to start building a basement and after that you need to start thinking how the tunnels will be made. With tunnels is all static of the building process much more difficult. I dont believe this theory. This theory is not answering the main question. How they build walls outside of this tunnels? They must do it somehow. The inside tunnels system for me is not the answer.
Ten men ? Is this a joke ?nnTen men to move stones that weighed up to hundreds of tonnes ?nnThe question remains:nif ancient people indeed had the technology to built those monuments then whyndid they live in caves and mud huts when they could have designed cities andncivilisations that lasted forever ? Not to mention the fact that this wouldnhave required at least ten times the population that was around back thenu2026 Mostnscientific explanations pertaining to the way those were built have since beennproved wrongu2026 and most of them verging on nonsense u2026
Oh not stupid people saying it was aliens, or magic, or anything stupid.nnnSeriously, archaeology has shown it was built by man power by the farmers who couldn’t work the fields during the flood season.nnnYEESH!
Archeology is irrelevant. Engineering is the science that needs to be applied to the building of Giza.
Sorry, but as archaeology is needed for this, you are wrong.nnArchaeology, having found evidence, has the facts.
Perhaps you’d be so good as to explain how an archeologist can analyze construction engineering on this scale. What ‘evidence’ and ‘facts’ have archeologists ‘found’ regarding the construction of Giza, as there are no extant records? Only a construction engineer or architect is qualified to analyze such structures. Archeology is a ‘social science’ not a hard science. It studies artifacts in their cultural context, it does not supplant geology, materials science, engineering or architecture which properly analyze stone and the construction techniques utilized by builders. Your presumption that I am wrong is based on prejudice, that is all.
You forgot that archaeologists find artifacts, paintings, papyrus, etc?nnnAnd that there are archaeologists that specialize in ancient engineering?nnnSorry, but archaeology trumps your stupid alien theory.
Forget? I mentioned artifacts. Can you read? And alien? Where did I mention alien? You have your head in a very dark place. And as there are no papyri or artifacts related to the construction of Giza you’re pissing up a rope. Go back to school, you’re wasting my time.
The fact you resort to insults proves my point.nnThe fact you ignore everything that archaeology, which includes engineering disciplines, is somewhat disturbs me.nnnArchaeology perhaps is too slow for you; but slow and steady finds the facts.nnnWhy are you so dismissive of the idea that men, using primitive machines, can create wonders?
And how were the 70 ton granite blocks actually maneuvered perfectly into place to create the ‘king’s chamber’? How were the ‘weight relieving’ chambers above the king’s chamber constructed and the angled roof slabs secured in place? And how was the descending passage to the ‘subterranean chamber’ carved out of bedrock? With mallets and chisels? And all of this with primitive tools by man power alone? This is laughable.nnThis attempt to explain the construction of the Great Pyramid is as fatally flawed as any other. The construction and deconstruction of massive external and internal ramps would have taken as much effort as the construction of the pyramid itself. And then the idea of using wooden sleds and wooden rails to move these blocks is patently ridiculous. Massive multi-ton blocks of stone would grind wood to pulp. And even so, where was all this incredibly durable hard wood imported from? nnWhen Herodotus visited Giza he was told that the builders used what he called a ‘device’ or ‘machine’. The Greek word does not denote a specific thing, it is a general term because his guides had no idea what this ‘device’ actually was. But they did know that some unknown engineering technology was used. The construction of Giza is a mystery that will not be solved until the technology used by the builders is known.
epic fail, eight people carrying 20 tons? to build the Pyramid of Giza took 21 years, taking into account the displacement of the stones and fitting would nescessario 5 minutes per stone. it is impossible to be performed, pyramids are of extraterrestrial origin
epic fail, eight people carrying 20 tons? to build the Pyramid of Giza took 21 years, taking into account the displacement of the stones and fitting would take 5 minutes per stone. it is impossible to be performed, pyramids are of extraterrestrial origin
not to mention the cutting of stones …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYQBDhkBfr0
The less you know about anything, the more aliens had to do it.
How to build the ancient Egyptian Great Pyramid ?nnSee a realistic and simple idea.nnhttp://blog.world-mysteries.com/mystic-places/the-great-pyramid-and-transport-of-heavy-stone-blocks/
I respect Mr. Houdin, but it could not have happened this way. His theory goes wrong with every innovation he introduces, and it ends up with creating more questions than it answers, eg, how could the corners of the pyramid possibly be filled in from the inside at the project’s end? I’ll be introducing another theory later in the year. It’s probably the answer.
I’m in the Egyptology study group at my highschool, and this theory makes the most sense out of all that have been presented. Thanks for all of the help.
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Leverage is the answer. Beauty is skin deep. Rubble was used for the inner core of the pyramids. This is how the Pyramids were able to be built in a timely fashion. How can you turn a 2.5 ton block around a corner? The amount of men needed to pull a block to a corner would have run off the pyramid. Just once I would like to see someone transport a 2.5 ton block from the quarry even to the second layer of a Pyramid. Floating blocks with inflated pig skins? you would need probably 500 inflated pig skins to float a 2.5 ton block! Give me a break. Interior passage ways to haul blocks? Can you imagine how many miles of passage ways you would have to build! And then there are those corners. I do not have the one answer because I believe there were many answers all used at the same time. Like any massive building today you have many stages being built at the same time. The pyramids were probably built from the inside out and the outside in all at the same time. I surmise that there are many empty cambers and or cavities within the pyramids. I also believe that, like the great wall of China, that many a worker who died while building the pyramids are buried within the pyramids as an honor of their participation. Whatever the answer to building the pyramids I believe the answer was a simple one otherwise they would not have been built.
The inside ramp theory? First I would like to see a wooden hoist at any given corner raise a 2.5 ton stone? Second I would like to know how the corner niches were completed? Wooden sleds to trans port stones? Can you imagine how long a wooden sled would last from friction being pulled up a stone ramp and I don’t care wether you put down wet sand, mud, oil or whatever? Don’t forget that while the men are pulling the stone forward in actuality the 2.5ton stone is pulling the men backwards and down. So where on the stone do you place the rope so the men aren’t pulled down? Seeing is believing. Only one interior ramp has been found. Please don’t tell me you know there are more without proving it. Houdin’s theory is just that. A disappointing one at that. 20 years of investigating means nothing if your theory has many holes in it. Those corners! Those hoists!? From what I understand the Egyptians did not have the wheel at that time . Yet they used wheel type hoists? Don’t you think that they would have made the leap from a roller to a wheel? Barney Rubble. Can you imagine how many 2.5 ton stone blocks would have been saved by using rubble as a filler? And there must have been tons of rubble left over from carving out the stone blocks. Take for example the Wall of China. The interior of the walls are rubble. @ million blocks indeed. How does anybody know? A block laid every 2 minutes. Please the Egyptians where a lot smarter and resourceful that that.
Anything is possible! That is my belief. My take on ALIENS building the pyramids is simple. If Aliens had anything to do with the pyramids I would think that the pyramids would be a thousand times better.
Hear Ye, Hear Ye. There should be a law against any person or persons saying that they have “SOLVED THE BUILDING OF THE PYRAMIDS”. Unless they were there to me that is false advertising. It seems that anyone with a half baked theory can put together a DVD showing their theory of the building of the Pyramids and then make a profit of it from a dvid pyramid enthusiasts. Only to have all Pyramidiates disappointed after realizing that said theory leaves out many obvious unanswered questions.
the pyramids may have been built by farmers during the flood season,but where did the flood waters go while they were building ? did they tread water to build them,or did they move farther away from the flood? just a thought…also the tunnels do not make sense,why would you ever chance making a stable form unstable by tunneling around it ? besides ‚moving that kind of weight not to mention,they were not muscular people,they were farmers,not body builders. maybe elephants were used to help pull those heavy weights up on log rolls,but ten men ? how many men today could push a buick up an incline like the pyramids had back then ??? i have read that some of those stones weighed 7 tons,some more and some less…a car weighs about 2100 pounds,some more some less,and on a flat surface it takes one man to strain to move it,but you put it on a 30 degree slope and you have no movement by one man,maybe 15 or 20 men,but not one…2000 pounds is not bad on level ground,but you have to remember that any incline will require more,and several tons will require more than ten.…besides growing up in the 50’s and 60’s ‚the way things were put in books shows that they were built by pulling those stones on logs ( rolling them ) up the slopes,and there was a lot more than ten men pulling them…even in the fields the men used cows,horses,yaks to help them plow the fields,if they could pull those stones of tons of weight ‚then they could plow their fields by their selves without any help.…and if you really think about it,the mayans also had carvings of rockets ‚as well as the egyptians did …and the mayans also had the carvings of an astronaut …so the alien theory is not far fetched as you say…today we see all over the mexican,cuban,russian,and american videos of actual air craft of a different origin,on face book,and in the declassified material of the gov’t that has been verified …so it is possible for their help in the construction of these pyramids…besides the sphinx is now said to be 14,000 years old instead of 4,000 ‚because of erosion ..something to think about.
you have a point Andrew G.
those theories are just that a theory..just like mine.but you really have to think,that was a lot of weight being moved..
just like stonehenge those stones were several hundred tons.
and not only that ‚very magnetic,with some very bad side effects if you used any kind of metal wire or rod to point at it.
i read where a reporter pointed a clothes hanger at it and got knocked on his butt.…there are things that we just cannot explain in this world…like you said, ” unless we were there when they were built,we know nothing,..” except what others think,lol
Scientist Rabah Shanti have solved this issue.
Pyramids were built using magnetic and acoustic levitation.
Pyramids were used as ports for teleportation. Interesting facts and answers to many issues related to pyramids. Can google his name to further learn about his theories and explanations.…worth reading them to open new horizons for thinking out of the box.
Slaves most likely but not Hebrews.As slaves they would be naked too low in status to wear clothes.
Just a quick comment for anyone trying to use the link for Khufu Reborn. The link in the text has been changed and now redirects you to the Dassault Systemes home page. The updated link is:
https://www.3ds.com/passion-for-innovation/khufu-reborn/khufu-reborn/
You are all crazy and do not have a clue how to build such a structure.. In order to build the structure you would first have to build what is inside the structure …In other words if you can’t build whats inside then your metod falls short „ thats all game over for 99% of the field..
I said 99%,.. there is only 0ne method that shows you how to build the complete structure it called the DDC PYRAMID CONSTRUCTION METHOD..and it can do it without lifting a block…
The three main tools are excavation, a down ramp , and sand..
I have only posted the first half of the artile and there is no one correct method ..
you can do a goole search The Dig Down Concept of Pyramid Construction or The DDC Pyramid Construction Method .. click on link it will take you to the article in EverybodyWiki More will be added in time
The DDC is Correct
Alan B Christ
I ‘m going to start off by getting rid of 995 OF EVERY METHOD OF PYRAMID CONSTRUCTION
HOW, IT ONLY TAKES ONE QUESTION ..
Can your method of construction build the chambers and gallery inside the structure..Tyhe answer is NO„. for 99% of them But there is that 1% that canand it can do it using three things .
These are ..Excavation„ a Down Ramp ‚and Sand
and never have to lift a block.. The DDC Pyramid Construction Method.. will show you how it can be done do a google search or go to everybody wiki and search..
The method is the only possible way it can be done in a TANGABLE WORLD
The DDC is correct
and knows all ‚.,
Alan B Christ
I just woke up from a dream that revealed to me that pyramids are built from the inside and it is the proper alignment of the rocks (amethysts, diamonds, gold, jade, etc) that are crucial in the first stages. Also the construction begins in underground caves and until you are able to see things a certain way for yourself, you’ll not be able to access this information, but once you are able to see it, you can easily be a part of it. It was just a dream but it felt more real than real life.