Everyone likes to study the mysteries of the past, especially the building techniques of the ancients. Well in all fairness I guess that I should say not everybody, but many people. I am one of them and no doubt you have figured this out if you have read many of my articles on the ancients. There are so many theories out there that state all these elaborate methods for erecting things like the pyramids and buildings, such as temples with huge columns that I thought we would shed some light on this topic. When you look at some of the Egyptian temples with these huge columns you can't help but wonder how in the world they lifted huge stones to the top. While we are wondering about this, how come some columns such as the ones in ancient Greek temples have withstood the test of time and tremors without falling? Hey, how was the pyramid built?

Giant Temple at Luxor
Photo Source: FreeStockPhotos.com

Lets take a look and see how some of these things were done. First of all I would like to say that the problem people had for years trying to figure this stuff out is that they were not thinking simple enough. They concocted these complicated methods and stated that this must be the way things were done. When they couldn't figure out how things were done, they stated that the aliens must have helped the ancients. I hate to tell you this, but no aliens were involved. The truth of the matter is that the ancients were smarter than we thought, but they tended to think in much simpler terms than we do. Maybe this was because they were closer to the earth and nature than we are or maybe it was because they had no machines and had to rely on their wits if they wanted something done.

People wondered for a long time how in the world the Egyptians could raise an obelisk that may have weighed over 140 tons. Again, all the grand schemes came into play, but not one of them was right. Actually raising an obelisk to the Egyptians was a simple matter. The first thing that they would do is figure where they wanted it placed. They would dig two pits, side by side, connected by a wooden door that could be raised by a rope. One of the pits was the exact location of where they wanted the obelisk This pit was filled with sand. Next they would drag the obelisk to the pit on a sledge or rollers then drag it over the pit full of sand and have the heaviest part, the bottom, on the sand. Here comes the ingenious part, they would pull up on the trap door and the sand would be pushed out of the pit by the weight of the obelisk and go into the empty pit and as this was happening the obelisk would begin to stand up on its own. After it stood up they would shovel dirt around it, it was now standing. That is how ancient Egyptians raised an obelisk

Sand was the primary tool that the Egyptians used besides manpower. So how did they build those temples that had columns over 60 feet high? How could they have lifted those stones? Here is the answer, they didn't, we only thought that they did. The columns were built in sections as was everything else. The first thing that was done was a base was laid and then the first section of column was laid. Next sand was brought in and everything was covered up to the top of the columns and a slight sand ramp was built. The next section of columns were put on and again more sand was used to cover everything up to the top of the new section and the ramp was made a little longer and higher. This procedure was followed until the top of the temple was reached. When the last pieces were in place, the sand was removed and you had a huge temple. Really smart isn't it. Notice that if this method is used, nothing is lifted, just slid into place. We should have been thinking sand all along.

Here is the grand mystery, how was the pyramid built? Some say that the stones were cast out of a cement like material, others say some sort of sturdy wooden scaffold was erected and the stones were dragged up it. Then there is the element that says it was impossible for the Egyptians to build the pyramid and that either aliens built it or some race long forgotten that was more advanced. We know that the Egyptians like to use sand as one of their main construction methods. We are pretty sure that is how they built their temples, so why wouldn't they apply this method on a grander scale to building pyramids? Here is how I believe the pyramids were built. First a layer of stones were laid, then a wide ramp was built that led to that layer. More stones were slid up the ramp and onto the stones that were already laid. The ramp was built higher and extended and more stones were slid up the ramp. Again Sledges or rollers may have been used and the stones may even have been numbered so that they were stacked correctly. This continued until the ramp reached the top and it must have been very long. When the pyramid was finished, the sand ramp was removed. While this might not be the exact method used, I bet it is very close. A variation may have been a ramp that went around the pyramid, getting higher and higher on each side.

Ancient Greek Temple
Photo Source: Cosmi CD

The ancient Greeks were also very cunning builders and practically started the industrial age. They only missed it by a hair. If they would have applied the principle of steam, that they knew, and built a practical steam engine as a energy source, things would be a lot different today. They had automatic doors, singing mechanical birds, automatic stage shows and many strange and wonderful devices. We are not looking at these today, since we are interested in their building techniques, so lets see how they moved huge stones.

Archeologists were puzzled by holes in the ends of huge stones that the Greeks used. At the same time people wondered how they transported these huge blocks over many miles of land since it was obvious that some of the stone used in temples was not from around the area where the temples were built. This puzzled scientists and Archeologists for many years. Many radical theories were proposed, but it was the simplest that seems to be correct. It seems that the ancient Greeks would take a large stone, cut a hole in the center of each end on the long side and attach a large wheel to each side. This way oxen could just pull the stones to the location where they were needed. This is so simple that it is beautiful. There go all those theories that overcomplicate everything right into the trash bin.

Ancient Greek Columns
Photo Source: Cosmi CD

We know many walls and columns in ancient Greece have withstood tremors and even earth quakes, but how was this possible. What was so special in their building techniques that allowed buildings to become that strong? Again a simple technology was used. In the case of columns, some had their sections connected by a sort of hook in the center. It was like a Lego. A piece of metal poured into the center hole of the section below the next section held the column strongly. A similar method was used on stone walls. A groove would be cut in two adjoining stones and hot metal poured into in. This would attach the two stones and make the wall stronger. This was repeated throughout the entire wall.

So there you have it. When you look at ancient construction and are puzzled at how it was done, think in very simple terms and you may come up with the solution.