Pyramid Stones Were Poured, Not Quarried

brian0918 writes "Times Online is reporting that French and American researchers have discovered that the stones on the higher levels of the great pyramids of Egypt were built with concrete. From the article: 'Until recently it was hard for geologists to distinguish between natural limestone and the kind that would have been made by reconstituting liquefied lime.' They found 'traces of a rapid chemical reaction which did not allow natural crystallization. The reaction would be inexplicable if the stones were quarried, but perfectly comprehensible if one accepts that they were cast like concrete.'"

It has to be said

[lecithin]

"They found traces of a rapid chemical reaction which did not allow natural crystallization. "

That is what I call concrete evidence!

Yeah, but...

[Pojut]

wouldn't the aliens have just created them out of random molecules in the air using some sort of crazy technology?

Oh come on!

[necro81]

How are we supposed to believe that an advanced alien race would still be using something so mundane as concrete?

Re:Oh come on!

[nullCRC]

Maybe they were illegal aliens and lacked the funds...

According to late night talk radio

[Anonymous Coward]

The pyramids weren't built. They *landed*.

Why those lying egyptians!

[whodkne]

They told those history shows that they lugged those stones up ramps and whatnot!

Just PR to misinform

[Anonymous Coward]

Dr Daniel Jackson knows the truth

Doesn't make sense

[Waffle Iron]

In an era before the invention of the wheel, it wouldn't have been any easier to drag a 20-ton concrete mixer truck chassis up the pyramid than to just drag up a 20-ton block of stone.

Re:It has to be said

[dr_dank]

That is what I call concrete evidence!

It would have been conclusively proven years ago, but the investigation was stonewalled.

Re:Oh come on!

[Anonymous Coward]

Simple, they used space-concrete. Pretty cheap at the space-WalMart.

Swi

4000 AD

[bronzey214]

I can only imagine archeologist's reactions when our society is kaput.

"The Americans had slaves that carried concrete slabs to form long unending structures. We also have evidence that these were called "free-ways". We think these "free-ways" were in worship to some sort of God and the metal heaps on these "free-ways" offerings for this God."

Re:Oh come on!

[HTH NE1]

How are we supposed to believe that an advanced alien race would still be using something so mundane as concrete?

Could you imagine the volatility of a pyramid made of naquadah?

Re:Yeah, but...

[outsider007]

No intelligent person believes that the pyramids were built by aliens.
We know for a fact that they were built by humans.
Aliens just supplied the anti-gravity beams.

Re:Oh come on!

[dr_dank]

It proves once and for all that the Egyptians were visited by Teamsters.

Formula

[Anonymous Coward]

Is the activity of casting liquified lime depicted on any pictographs/heiroglyphics in Egypt?

Yes. It goes like this:

Bird's eye bird's eye, dancing guy, two chicks looking at each other, bird's eye, chicks again, that dog faced god looking to the heavens, some women throwing wheat into the air, guys picking ground, bird's eye, god of something, mound of cement.

There you go!

Well...

[jd]

...the archaeologists were trying to cement their relationship with the aliens, who were stealing all the limelight.

Re:It has to be said

[abradsn]

Basically, they are saying...
blocks near the base may have been quarried and dragged to the site.
Joe Egyptian thought "Damn, this is some hard work, pulling these tons of blocks and stuff... why don't we pound this stone into dust... carry it in bags... and add some water and beer into the mix when we get to it..."

I seriously doubt it... SERIOUSLY

[Micklewhite]

I have a lot of trouble believing these findings. It's well known that the ancient Egyptians were a very 'slow on the uptake' sort of people. This is reasonably apparent with their crazy style of writing. The Egyptians had some notion that rhyming appeased the gods or something to that effect. So naturally all their writings rhymed. Take this classic example: 'Man with a snake, boat on a lake. Bird in the sky, weird curly eye'. If you could say the Egyptians contributed ANYTHING to modern society that would have to be rhyming. Before the Egyptians came along no society had developed an actual working rhyming system. The ancient Greeks came closest. Homer's Odyssey was the closest the Greeks ever came to an actual rhyming system, though, in its native Latin the Odyssey will cause a sane man to go mad.

One might wonder what this has to do with the ancient Egyptians capacity to mix concrete. Well it has a LOT to do with it. You have to remember the ancient Egyptians were very keen on rhyming. The entire mummification process rhymed, as well as all the names of all the pharaohs. So it's only logical that all their building materials should rhyme as well. Concrete doesn't rhyme with anything. Therefore the ancient Egyptians didn't use it.

This if you will, is the cornerstone of Egyptology.

Re:That's cement, not concrete

[Cpt_Kirks]

SAND? In Egypt? Oh, bullshit!

You kids today with your sprirographs and your silly theories...

Re:4000 AD

[Anonymous Coward]

Ancient Americans also seem to have spent several hours every day paying homage to the god of the free-way in a ritual known as "commuting."

Re:Yeah, but...

[Anonymous Coward]

wondered why an advanced spacefaring species would like to build primitive stone structures,out of rocks(or cement)?
the conspiracists conviniently forget this.At least crop circles have some purpose.
Now if you excuse me i'm off to build some sand castles.

Re:Formula

[feepness]

Bird's eye bird's eye, dancing guy, two chicks looking at each other, bird's eye, chicks again, that dog faced god looking to the heavens, some women throwing wheat into the air, guys picking ground, bird's eye, god of something, mound of cement.

First off your knowledge of ancient egyption is obviously flawed. Secondly... language! There could be children reading this.

Re:It has to be said

[E++99]

because in science, a hypothesis is interesting, but prooving a hypothesis is important.

Right, it's the prooving that's the hard part. That and the spelling.

Re:4000 AD

[Anonymous Coward]

"The Great God Awto" [eldritchdark.com] by Clark Ashton Smith is an incredibly amusing "retrospective."

Re:It has to be said

[gurudyne]

And to make sure the mix is correctly sanctified, they will take the precaution of filtering the beer through their own kidneys.

What a sacrifice by band of dedicated workers!

(And never before was my sig more apropos)

Re:Roman concrete

[LunaticTippy]

They killed an evil space-alien named Jesus who still threatens this planet.

That, and running water.

Re:Oh come on!

[lpcustom]

Nah illegal aliens would have used dry-wall

No way...

[theworldisflat]

If they used concrete, they wouldn't have needed all the slaves. The head guy would have given the contract to his brother-in-law, who then got 40 of his friends (who take turns taking breaks) to do all the concrete work. Budget for a "refresh" every 10 years or so due to cracks. See...couldn't have happened.

Re:Formula

[TrevorB]

First off your knowledge of ancient egyption is obviously flawed.

Quit being a Grammar Centurion.

Re:Mortar

[McMoose]

My theory is that the ancient Egyptians revered the cat for a reason. Ever try to get cat poo off anything? There's your mysterious mortar right there.

Re:2nd time I've heard this

[evilviper]

10 years ago (give or take 10)

So... yesterday?