Why do we still not know what's inside the pyramids? • Hacker News Board

Re: Why do we still not know what's inside the pyramids?

#41

Post by shiftpgdn » Mon, Nov 16, 2015, 1:41 PM UTC

vlehto wrote: post #25

n0us wrote: post #2

I wonder why they cannot use ultrasound or something similar where they "ping" in different locations, then pick up the result by various microphones attached to locations all over the pyramid. I don't know a whole lot about this type of engineering so if someone has an answer I would very much appreciate. On another note, if they open it up and find out it's been filled with grain this whole time I might have to con…

That's actually used in geological imaging. They might use small explosions or shoot the ground with a shotgun or drive over it with series of overloaded trucks. You can't destroy the surface of the pyramid with TNT, so it might be tricky. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seismic_tomography Other possibilities are ground radar. With big bunch of different problems. Mainly there is anything conductive in the surface laye…

Electromagnetic imaging is actually used at depths up to 10km (and more). Many oil/exploration companies use it along side traditional imaging to get a better idea of what is in the earth.

Re: Why do we still not know what's inside the pyramids?

#42

Post by coldcode » Mon, Nov 16, 2015, 1:54 PM UTC

tillinghast wrote: post #38

JacobAldridge wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suspect both were inspired by US Presidential candidate Ben Carson's recent claims that (he believes) they were built by Joseph to store grain (as per the Book of Genesis).

For clarity, Genesis recounts grain stores being built, but makes no claim that the Great Pyramids were those stores. The BBC article does reference grain storage directly: > But Stevenson also says that counter-theories about the pyramids actually being huge grain stores are not helpful. “Archaeologists have in fact found grain silos in Egypt, they’re well known to us and they look nothing like pyramids,” she says.

I think building a grain store in the shape of a giant pyramid wouldn't work anyway. The grains at the bottom would be pretty much unusable and likely you couldn't get them out except from the top because of the weight. I do wonder if someone could work out the math though :-)

Re: Why do we still not know what's inside the pyramids?

#43

Post by iamthepieman » Mon, Nov 16, 2015, 1:56 PM UTC

JacobAldridge wrote: post #28

corin_ wrote: post #20

It could be a coincidence, but I wonder if this piece (published 3 days ago) was inpsired by this 6-day old Reddit thread: "ELI5: Why don't we already know everything that's inside the pyramids?" https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/3s7ljo/e...

I suspect both were inspired by US Presidential candidate Ben Carson's recent claims that (he believes) they were built by Joseph to store grain (as per the Book of Genesis).

Why is Carson saying this? Is there possible truth behind it or is he just looking for attention?

Edit: I just couldn't wrap my head around why a candidate would be talking about Egyptian pyramids and alternate theories. Apparently it's a little more complicated. He mentioned his own "personal theory" about pyramids during a speech 10 years ago[0], it got brought up recently by the 24h news cycle and now he's defending his theory.

[0] http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/nov/05/fact-check-be...

Re: Why do we still not know what's inside the pyramids?

#44

Post by vlehto » Mon, Nov 16, 2015, 2:10 PM UTC

shiftpgdn wrote: post #41

vlehto wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's actually used in geological imaging. They might use small explosions or shoot the ground with a shotgun or drive over it with series of overloaded trucks. You can't destroy the surface of the pyramid with TNT, so it might be tricky. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seismic_tomography Other possibilities are ground radar. With big bunch of different problems. Mainly there is anything conductive in the surface laye…

Electromagnetic imaging is actually used at depths up to 10km (and more). Many oil/exploration companies use it along side traditional imaging to get a better idea of what is in the earth.

Yes. The most interesting applications I have head of is exploring ice caps. To depths of several kilometers.

http://earthzine.org/2008/09/26/a-brief-history-of-radio-ech...

But they had huge advantage of no surrounding civilization. Power line above you can easily "echo" in the picture that should come below you. I've used one myself to see some plumbing.

But the resolution gets poor quickly as you go deeper. Most common applications seem to be inspecting rebars from reinforced concrete and inspecting roads for subsurface problems. Both in range of just few meters.

Re: Why do we still not know what's inside the pyramids?

#45

Post by easytiger » Mon, Nov 16, 2015, 2:16 PM UTC

givan wrote: post #33

Why do we still think that they were built with chisel and hammer when we know is impossible with these tools to cut the stones from king chamber to laser precision or cut stones to make a perfectly symmetric pharaoh statue?

How do we know that?

Re: Why do we still not know what's inside the pyramids?

#46

Post by yeukhon » Mon, Nov 16, 2015, 2:34 PM UTC

> Either way, National Geographic reports that the Egyptian authorities are already interested in the idea of marketing tourist access to any chambers that might be found

I am a big history nerd. I will literally say, I love this history shit. You can see how passionate I am about learning history.

But I am concerned about this statement. Does a historical figure deserve to have his or her tomb to be further explored, displayed, and made for profit?

Is there a balance between learning about ancient culture and respecting the dead?

Re: Why do we still not know what's inside the pyramids?

#47

Post by nightspirit » Mon, Nov 16, 2015, 2:40 PM UTC

givan wrote: post #39

mariuolo wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the alternate theory?

Ancients could build complex mechanical devices https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism maybe the technology was even older.

Are you suggesting a CNC mill was involved?

What's your point? Neither the article nor anybody here mentioned chisels...

Re: Why do we still not know what's inside the pyramids?

#48

Post by rurban » Mon, Nov 16, 2015, 2:43 PM UTC

green7ea wrote: post #35

motoboi wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Didn't Rafaello and Michelangelo use those tools to work with rock?

There are two things to keep in mind. Rafaello and Michelangelo worked with stone that wasn't nearly as hard as granite (granite being one of the hardest stones). Secondly, we don't believe metals were nearly as developed during the period of dynastic Egypt and some Egyptologists theorise (but I think this is crazy) that stone tools were used to carve the blocks.

Granite? Who crazy would come up with the idea to build pyramids with something as heavy and hard as granite.

They were not even carved out of limestone blocks, they were casted by an early form of concrete created using a mixture of limestone, clay, lime, and water. Similar to how they would have been built nowadays. http://www.livescience.com/1554-surprising-truth-great-pyram...

Re: Why do we still not know what's inside the pyramids?

#49

Post by mariuolo » Mon, Nov 16, 2015, 2:49 PM UTC

givan wrote: post #39

mariuolo wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the alternate theory?

Ancients could build complex mechanical devices https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism maybe the technology was even older.

I'm not sure I get your point.

How does one cut and move granite blocks with a calculator?

Re: Why do we still not know what's inside the pyramids?

#50

Post by burkaman » Mon, Nov 16, 2015, 3:03 PM UTC

dalke wrote: post #10

Why are people using infrared to look for new chambers and passages? Muon detectors, using cosmic rays for the source, were used in the 1960s to conclude: > We can say with confidence that no chambers with volumes similar to the four known chambers in Cheops's and Sneferu's pyramids exist in the mass of limestone investigated by cosmic-ray absorption. The volume of the pyramid probed in this manner is defined by a ve…

I'm guessing a big part of it is "The explored volume is 19 percent of the pyramid's volume." Eliminating the possibility of huge chambers is cool, but it would also be cool to find out if there's anything in the other 80%.

Do you know if they ever succeeded in searching the whole pyramid?