Why do pyramid myths persist?

In the spring of 2023, many French people were stunned to hear rapper Gims' vision of Egypt's pyramids as being capable of generating electricity. The comments provoked hilarious reactions, but are symptomatic of what is known online as "pyramidology", i.e. pseudo-experts who claim that the marvels of Egyptian architecture are proof of something mystical. Theories abound: signs of ancient human civilizations such as the Atlanteans, gifts from extraterrestrial peoples, energy sources, etc.

How can this be explained? In this two-part lecture, Thomas Durand of "La Tronche en biais" explains how this conspiracy theory is much more widespread than the public may believe. On the Internet, small groups encourage each other and use classic biases, i.e. taking the elements that correspond to their vision of reality and eliminating the others.

For Alexis Seydoux, historian and archaeologist, it's all the crazier because there's no such thing as the "mystery of the pyramids". Today's Egyptologists understand better than ever how they were built, how they evolved over the course of Egyptian civilization, and how finds made as much out of malice as historical interest have shown that there was nothing magical about them. Most of the buildings were constructed next to quarries, making it easier to transport materials. While the exterior is of fine cut stone, we know today that the interior is far less impeccable, with rubble, smaller rocks and other natural elements holding it all together.

Running time: 1 hour 38 minutes

Image: Walkerssk / Pixabay