The Great Pyramid Debate

The question of who built the pyramids has been debated for decades. Some people accept the historical explanation that ancient Egyptians constructed them, while others—usually after watching one too many late-night documentaries—believe extraterrestrials were responsible.

But instead of arguing who built the pyramids, let’s focus on how—assuming, for the sake of argument, that aliens were involved. The catch? These aliens don’t get futuristic lasers, anti-gravity technology, or anything remotely helpful. They have their usual intelligence, sure, but they’re limited to the same tools and resources available to ancient civilizations on Earth. In other words, they’re about to have a very humanizing experience.

The Great Pyramid of Giza was a pyramid built around 4,500 to 4,600 years ago, taking up around 13 acres of land. Each flat side of the pyramid points almost perfectly to the cardinal directions. Mind you, this structure was created thousands of years before the first compass. So, the aliens would have had a lot on their plates.

To pull this off, the aliens would need a workforce of about 25,000 laborers. Their options? Either invent intergalactic construction unions or—more realistically—do exactly what humans did: organize a massive, skilled labor force (AKA paid slavery). Alongside a workforce, the extraterrestrials would need a copious amount of limestone and granite to actually create the structure, and they would also need a base stable enough for their giant pyramid. Rather than building on unstable sand, the aliens would need to level a natural limestone bedrock and shape it into the right form. Unfortunately, the actual base is not perfectly square, with a small, unnoticeable difference where one side is 14.4 cm longer than the one opposite to it. These workers would need to transport 2.3 million stone blocks, with a weight of up to 80 tons, from two different quarries: one quarry near the building site for stone to be used inside the structure, while stones used for the outside would be made around 13 meters away. These blocks would be transported on long sleds made from trees. After the blocks are transported, they would be shaped and then moved in place through the use of limestone ramps and ropes to bring the blocks to the part of the pyramid where they would be. To ensure that the pyramid would not collapse, the workers would need to support the interior of the pyramid with granite support beams. 

The pyramid remained the tallest structure in the world for over 3,800 years, built over about 20 years of sustained effort. It’s an incredible achievement—but not because of aliens. Ironically, even in a scenario where aliens did build it, they’d end up using the exact same methods humans did. This pyramid was made as a monumental tomb for the Pharaoh Khufu to ensure his immortality, but without the thousands of workers, it would never have been possible. So in the end, it turns out you don’t need intergalactic beings to build something incredible. Just enough people, enough time, and a willingness to carry 80-ton blocks up a ramp without asking too many questions.