Recent Scans Of The Pyramids Revealed A Strange Sight Hidden Inside

Children were born, raised, and grown-up by the time the largest pyramid in the world was completed — in fact, they probably helped bring the ancient monument to life. The aptly-named Great Pyramid of Giza took 20,000 people and 20 years to complete…

In the field of pyramid-building, 20 years to complete isn’t long — it’s actually astonishingly fast, especially considering the limited technology they had to help them build. After all, the workers didn’t exactly have cranes or diesel engines back then.

At the time some of the pyramids were built, ancient civilizations still hadn’t even discovered the wheel. This meant they didn’t have any efficient mode of transportation, and it would have taken super-human strength to lug those blocks around. 

Obviously, the blocks we keep mentioning weren’t exactly light as a feather: They weighed up to 15 tons, equivalent to seven cars, and they were dragged 500 miles from the Nile. It’s a miracle the pyramids ever looked the way they did...

Years of erosion have resulted in the reddish-brown pyramids we recognize today, but back in their heyday, they were covered with white, polished limestone. This made them look glass-like in the sun — and they were just as fragile.

This diamond-like shell did not last long, however. A strong earthquake in 1303 AD caused the limestone layers to loosen, so builders had to take the stones off. That doesn’t mean the pyramids totally lost their magic, however. 

The Great Pyramid itself is a clever optical illusion — but you wouldn’t know it from the ground. It looks like it has four sides like most pyramids, but from an aerial view, you can see what the pyramid truly looks like...

The Great Pyramid actually has eight sides — and historians don’t really know why. Some think it could be as simple as erosion, but others think it was purposefully built with slight “splits” on each side to prevent casing stones from shifting.

If you think this all sounds too miraculous, you’re not alone. According to historians, there’s no conclusive evidence of how Egyptians built the pyramids at all. Doing so would have required a mathematical precision that’s unattainable with just ropes and wooden tools…

What’s more, historians feel that such a feat of innovation would be nearly impossible to achieve even with today’s technology. Scientists have tried to recreate smaller-scale pyramids, but they just can't nail the precision of the ancient Egyptians.

To explain this, many historians and archaeologists theorize that there was a civilization before the Egyptians that may have been even more advanced than we are now. Archaeologists even found evidence of advanced life in the spookiest of places.

In Pharaoh Khufu’s sarcophagus, archaeologists discovered evidence of drills that were strong enough to cut through granite blocks. Even today’s drills would struggle to accomplish that feat, making the holes a head-scratcher for scientists. 

Even more perplexing is the labyrinth that exists underneath the pyramids, since archaeologists have no idea how long the maze is and where it leads. Everything from hieroglyphics to venomous spiders has been discovered in these murky tunnels…

But since most of the labyrinth remains a mystery, conspiracy theorists have gone wild with the possibility of what could be down there. Theories range from ancient catacombs to an entire underground city...and new theories are emerging about another recent discovery.

A hidden chamber was discovered in the Great Pyramid. The way it was found is certainly futuristic. Archaeologists used cosmic-ray imaging to see through the nearly-impenetrable limestone — not that this impressive technology was able to answer many questions. 

Besides the location, anything else about "the void" is unknown. No one knows if it’s a single chamber or a series of rooms, or why the chamber was built, or if there’s anything in there. Some scientists agree upon one theory, however…

It’s been speculated that the pyramids are generating energy, and the discovery of the hidden chamber revealed that the pyramid concentrates electromagnetic energy into its internal rooms. What's more, this isn’t the only architectural feat to impress archaeologists.

Perhaps more puzzling than the pyramids is the Sphinx, which is surrounded by mystery. Who built it? Why is it here? How long ago was it constructed? No one knows for sure where the structure came from, but it does resemble someone in particular.

Though they have no idea if it's coincidental or not, the features on the Sphinx’s face resemble that of Pharaoh Khafre, which means it could have been built in his image. There are so many questions about these ancient marvels that scientists cannot answer...

But if one thing is sure, the Great Pyramid is a cultural treasure for a reason! 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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 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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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?

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.

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. 

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!

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.