Egypt: Think Canals, Not Aliens

Think Canals, Not Aliens

For centuries, humans have posited various theories for how the Egyptians constructed their dazzling pyramids more than four millennia ago.

Thanks to an ancient scrap of papyrus, we now know that it wasn’t aliens that gave us the pyramids, but rather good old-fashioned human ingenuity.

Near the seaport of Wadi Al-Jarf, some 200 miles from the Great Pyramid in Giza, archaeologists discovered the diary of a witness to the colossal project, an overseer named Merer.

According to his descriptions, the ancient Egyptians used intricate, manmade canal systems and various boats joined together by ropes to utilize the Nile river to transport some 170,000 tons of limestone needed for construction from 500 miles away in Aswan, the International Business Times reported.

The estimated 2.3 million blocks were then hauled inland to a port just yards away from the base of the pyramid. Following the breadcrumbs, archaeologists stumbled upon waterways running underneath the Great Pyramid that were likely used for construction.

Archaeologists also uncovered a 2,500-year-old ceremonial boat woven together from loops of rope. Scientists speculate that such a technique was used for the boats used to transport the building materials for the pyramids, completing the puzzle.

Alien conspiracy theorists are likely bummed – but fans of the human condition rejoice.