Thread by @FlintDibble

This article on the topic of pseudoarchaeology explains why I do my own homegrown science communication for the public

Good archaeologists are quoted here, but too much airtime is given to pseudoarchaeologists

A thread about who built the pyramids
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inputmag.com/culture/altern…

There is no scholarly debate over who built the pyramids, nor is there a reason for scholars to debate YouTubers over who built them

The pyramids are splendid monuments. I know because I've seen them and climbed in them

But, there's no real mystery in their technology
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The innovation we think of as pyramids was a slow progression over generations

Nearly 5000 years ago in early Egypt, the 1st and 2nd dynasty erected funeral monuments at Abydos that were massive square enclosures made of mudbricks.

Over centuries, these get bigger & bigger
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As a student, I excavated in & helped map the largest: the Shuneh at Abydos

It's no Great Pyramid, but it's impressive for its size (137x77m with 5m thick walls that stand 12m high) and the engineering and labor taken to create this monument

It's the predecessor to pyramids
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The Shuneh was built for last ruler of 2nd dynasty: Khasekhemwy

The monument for first pharoah of 3rd dynasty, Djoser, is our very first pyramid at Saqqara designed by Imhotep

It's made of stone. And it's stepped: build square structure, build smaller one on top. Repeat
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The engineers for Pharoah Sneferu, first ruler of 4th dynasty, built the first smooth pyramid

But, it took three tries!

The 1st at Meidum collapsed. We have its core

The 2nd at Dahshur is so wonky it's nicknamed "The Bent Pyramid"

The 3rd "The Red Pyramid" was a success
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The Great Pyramid builds off the innovations in masonry, engineering, quarrying & transportation developed over generations

The evidence is really clear. You can read about it. The pictures are clear

There's no room for debate
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But it doesn't even end here

Archaeologists have excavated the village and the tombs of the engineers and laborers who built the pyramids

They tell us how they built them. We know how they lived and what they ate
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So, when some pseudoarchaeologists or alternative historian, or even a well meaning journalist says they've spent "a lot of time thinking" or that they "think for themselves" about these topics

The reality is that they're imagining stuff rather than researching and "thinking"
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They trust that their audience hasn't done the research either

They harness deep seated prejudices, biases, and racisms when claiming indigenous peoples couldn't have built something monumental

But in the end, they're just trying to make a quick buck
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We know how granite was quarried in straight lines. We know how stone was hauled. We know how technology progressed

We know so much about our human past. And our ancestors all over the world were much more intelligent than these grifters
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We also know the grift works. More people are believing in pseudoarchaeology

We need to keep fighting. Fill the internet with real archaeology

I heard recently that my tweets pop up in Google searches. I hope a few people find this pyramid thread instead of a crap YouTube video

And if pyramids are all you know about the archaeology of Africa, then maybe give this thread below a read

Respectfully, Jimmy, I refuse to reply to you directly and draw more attention to your online presence

Clearly this "surreal" experience of being featured will grow your influence in the pseudo community

But below I provide several links to requested videos for anyone reading

And, a quick note: unlike pseudoarchaeologists, I don't consider Bronze Age technology to be "primitive"

As noted above, ancient people were pretty darn smart. It's why I enjoy studying them and sharing my knowledge of them with people

Video #1 is by @DrDavidMiano and presents the visible archaeological evidence we have in the form of saw marks, drill marks, and polishing for how ancient Egyptians cut stone

Video #2 is by Scientists against Myths and is a clear demonstration of how to saw granite using bronze age tech

Video #3 is by Discovery UK and shows quarrying and shaping of a large block from minute 7 on

This conversation of @SoilManDan with one of these pseudos is fascinating

It's amazing the breadth of falsehoods these people believe: Egyptians didn't have drills, hieroglyphs appeared out of nothing, their boats were too flimsy to carry stone

All wrong

And some thoughts from @Cult_Archaeo on the article that spurred this thread

She is one of a few scholars who is actively researching the spread of pseudoarchaeological misinformation and its relationship to other forms of conspiracy thinking

I wasn't going to add these insults to this thread, but I think it's important to document the nastiness, racism, and eugenics that exists in the pseudoarchaeology/alternative history community

Ancient aliens seems like fun & games, but scratch deeper...