Researchers believe they have solved one of the big questions around the three great pyramids of Egypt. Indeed, there are many mysteries surrounding the pyramids of Cheops, Giza and Dahshur, but researchers have just provided an answer.
The Three Great Pyramids of Egypt
The three great pyramids of Giza remain today one of the most emblematic elements in the entire history of Egypt. These pyramidal tombs are huge tombs for deceased pharaohs. But their creation is continually shrouded in mysteries and enigmas.
One of the enigmas concerns the location of the pyramids of Cheops, Kephren and the Red Pyramid of Dahshur. These three monuments are indeed perfectly aligned on the four cardinal points. Which means each of the four corners of their base points perfectly in one of the four directions (north, on, east, west). A bit like a compass. A question arises. How, more than 4000 years ago, without any modern technology, the Egyptians managed to achieve such precision? Engineer Glen Dash has just provided an answer to the magazine’s microphone ScienceAlert.
The equinox as an answer
The construction of these three pyramids, however, presents a slight error. The three monuments are turned slightly counter-clockwise from the cardinal points. Many hypotheses have been put forward to understand how the Egyptians were able to build these pyramids with such precision. Some have suggested using the sun as a base. For archaeologist Glen Dash, the Egyptians based themselves on the autumnal equinox (i.e. the moment when day and night have exactly the same duration).
The researcher advances the idea that with a rod called “gnomon” this hypothesis is more than likely. He experienced it himself in 2016. It’s called the technique of indian circles. It is enough to take a rod or a stick. At regular intervals, you must mark with a dot the end of the shadow cast by the stick. Thanks to a rope tied to the stick, it is then necessary to select two points of the curve to connect them to each other. It forms an almost perfect line from east to west. There is no evidence to support this theory. But using the equinox as a starting point is the most logical probability right now.
