Evidence Found Inside Pyramids Has Experts Questioning Their Origins

A true testament to the ingenuity of the ancient world, the Egyptian pyramids are still standing after thousands of years. And make no mistake — these structures are far more than just tall piles of rocks. The greatest minds on Earth are still in the process of learning more about the pyramids every day, and some of their discoveries are truly baffling. Bordering on the inexplicable, these finds could redefine history as we know it. Can we solve these puzzles before they're lost in the sands of time?

Ancient air conditioning

Unless you're a camel, you probably don't want to hang out in the Sahara Desert. The pyramids, on the other hand, are amazingly cool inside. Their advanced ventilation causes interior chambers to drop as low as 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Not just slaves

Popular culture has us believe that slaves built the pyramids under the stern eye of the pharaoh's cronies. While some slaves may have been involved, historians believe that due to the complexity of the operation, skilled craftsmen were primarily responsible.

Ramps and sledges

Even the most hardcore DIY-er wouldn't dare to build an authentic Egyptian pyramid. The wheel hadn't been introduced to their society yet, so they instead used a series of ramps and sledges to haul stone from hundreds of miles away.

Complex interiors

Although their design looks straightforward from the outside, pyramids hide an intricate system of tunnels, chambers, and air ducts within. In recent years, scientists have identified previously unknown rooms, thanks to cosmic-ray imaging. Their purpose remains a mystery, however.

Original look

Though the pyramids form one of the most iconic skylines in the world, they looked quite different back in their heyday. An outer casing of polished limestone, which has since fallen off, made them shine like diamonds under the desert sun. Nowadays, some of the structures are lit up to mimic the mesmerizing effect they once had.

Electromagnetic charge

Even now, scientists are still learning new, fascinating details about the pyramids. Shockingly, they determined that the base and inner rooms of the Great Pyramids hold an electromagnetic charge! Conspiracy theorists will immediately jump to an alien connection, but this is likely just a coincidence.

Carter and the curse

Howard Carter achieved one of the biggest finds in archaeology when he unsealed King Tutankhamun's wondrous tomb in 1923. Urban legend claims the pharaoh's curse killed him and his workers as revenge. In reality, there was no curse in Tut's tomb, plus Carter died long after in 1939.

Burial beliefs

Tut's tomb was a monumental find because it showed off the decadence of Egyptian burials. They interred their royals with food, household goods, and even pets, due to the belief that their spirits would use them in the afterlife. So why was this discovery the first of its kind?

First find of its kind

No pyramid or royal tomb was found in its full splendor prior to the 1920s. We have millennia of grave robbing to thank for that. Thieves would eagerly swoop in and steal valuable trinkets, leaving most archaeologists with only remnants of the magnificent burials.

Aerial view

Aerial photography revealed a curious fact about the Great Pyramid. Rather than having four sides, the picture showed four indented seams — almost perfectly straight — that actually divided the monument into eight sides!

Last remaining wonder

The Great Pyramid is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing. The Lighthouse of Alexandria, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Colossus at Rhodes, and Temple of Artemis are all lost or in ruins.

Man behind the Sphinx

While its purpose is not completely clear, historians theorize that Egyptians built the Great Sphinx to guard over the pyramids. Its face is likely based on Khafre, a rather obscure pharoah. Of course, he did have a nose; the Sphinx's simply crumbled away.

Mummification steps

We all know that wealthy Egyptians were mummified, but that process is probably more involved than you'd think. Over the course of months, high priests would remove internal organs, dry the body in salt, and wrap it in multiple layers of linen.

Lots of rocks

Anyone can see that it took a whole lot of rocks to construct the pyramids, but this factoid will still blow your mind. Giza's three main pyramids contain enough stones to build a ten-foot wall around all of France!

Towering achievement

Upon its completion in 2560 B.C., the 481-foot Great Pyramid stood taller than any other manmade structure in the world. It stayed that way for thousands of years, until the Lincoln Cathedral topped it in 1311.

Nile alignment

Nearly all of Egypt's pyramids are located to the west of the Nile, probably so the spirits of the dead could follow the setting sun. It also didn't hurt that many of the quarries in the region were on that side of the river.

The hidden door

Among other architectural marvels, the Great Pyramid features a hidden 20-ton door on one side. Though it sounds impossible to move, ingenious hinges allow it to open with the push of a single person.

Star connection

The placement of the three largest pyramids at Giza have been the source of frenzied speculation, and many believe they have a connection to the stars. They claim that this trio of structures aligns with the stars in Orion's Belt, though this theory has plenty of detractors.

Oldest pyramid

Though Peru houses some of the world's oldest pyramids, the very oldest is in Egypt. Pharoah Djoser's pyramid went up in the 27th century B.C. and featured a more primitive step design.

Down in the muck

Archaeologists are constantly on the lookout for new breakthroughs on ancient Egypt, though sometimes the work itself is pretty gross. When they're not wading through muck or human remains, experts are often gagging at the gross realities of everyday Egyptian life.

Lice was a major issue

It was such a large problem that most ancient Egyptians decided to shave their heads instead of dealing with the pesky vermin. Even the tombs were filled with lice (so you couldn’t even escape them in the afterlife).

Men rocked the clean shave

Most of the men preferred to shave themselves from head to toe. Women normally wore a wig that could be easily exchanged when it became too invested with lice. Lovely. There was probably a whole pile of these nasty lice wigs sitting around somewhere.

Flashing Seamen

One activity that ancient Egyptian men enjoyed was flashing women as they sailed past them. This was a part of a religious festival. They’d take the entire family and head to Bubastis for the celebration with a huge crowd of people.

Taking the bait

Along the way, men would flash the pretty girls they saw. They hoped the women would jump in the water and swim after them because they were so impressed with their “display.” It’s so weird historians generally leave that out when they write about this civilization. 

Life after death

Speaking of lovely displays, when King Tutankhamen’s tomb was uncovered, historians were stunned: so many mysteries of the ancient Egyptians were unlocked. They also realized the king was buried in a, um, state of arousal.

Borrowed bits

And oddly, King Tut is so far the other pharaoh with this added flair. There’s a theory that the phallus isn’t even his! Some scholars suspect that Tut’s member was replaced with a more aesthetically pleasing specimen instead. 

desperate times call for desperate...

Women were left wanting for contraception options in ancient Egypt. Some chose to mix honey with certain herbs and other ingredients, and others were partial to using crocodile poop and leaves. The mixture was then inserted into a women’s birth canal to prevent pregnancy. Gross.

They kept things spicy

Men even used birth control. Theirs consisted of taking an onion, juicing it, and then rubbing it on their parts before sex. Once again, not sure why this was left out of history books. Who wouldn’t be ready to go after this?

They really loved their mummies

Another issue in ancient Egypt was necrophilia. This was the fate that awaited powerful or beautiful women when they passed away. Embalmers had been caught in the act by their employees, so this wasn’t just a nasty rumor. Officials came up with a solution.

Some things don't age well

To fight this deplorable practice, women were left to rot for a few days in the hot Egyptian sun before they were sent to the embalmer. Problem solved. 

Ancient airbrushing

It turns out that the supposedly gorgeous, slim royalty portrayed in historical images and preserved paintings actually forced their artists to draw them in a conventionally beautiful way. Body dysmorphia and low self-esteem even plagued the ancient Egyptians!

Feasting pharaohs

Because the pharaohs and their relatives were actually obese and extremely unhealthy. Each day they would scarf down wine, cakes, fatty meats and a host of other artery-clogging food. This was such an issue that ancient doctors were already warning people about the health concerns related to being this overweight.

Crash diet

Even though the royals spent much of their time eating, they were still very concerned with their weight. To fight this, they would clear out three days of the month and take a castor oil laxative. This was something literally on their calendar to do.

The purge

After ingesting the oil, they would spend the entire day on the toilet. When Egyptians were done ridding themselves of every ounce of liquid in their bodies, they would clean up the mess by hand. Another gem for the history books. 

Egyptian shepherd

Fun fact: the ancient Egyptian word for proctologist was “shepherd of the anus," which does make the job sound more pleasant. At this point in time, proctologists mainly just gave people enemas. And their customers were huge, huge fans of the procedure.

All praise Thoth

Egyptians had a holy connection to enemas. They told a story of the god Thoth developing enemas and then sharing that sacred knowledge with humanity. Thoth seems like an okay guy.

Ancient oil check

Meanwhile, Ancient Egyptian doctors had few very unique ways to test a woman’s fertility. One was by covering a female’s entire body with oil and then having her lay down overnight. If she looked fresh the next morning, she was ready to go. And if not, she wasn’t fertile yet.

The breath of life

Doctors would also try putting some garlic or onion inside a woman overnight. He’d smell her breath the next morning, and if he could smell the onion or garlic, she was fertile.

The red stream

Another condition ancient Egyptians were prone to was schistosomiasis. This made people feel feverish and pee blood. But, because it was so nasty everywhere, people just kept getting this disease.

False fertility

In a similar vein, schistosomiasis was so common that men thought they were experiencing periods, like women. It was seen as a good thing to pee blood, as it apparently showed fertility in men.