Ancient Aliens: Did Aliens Build the Great Pyramids?

 

The Pyramids of Giza. Courtesy of Ratnakorn Piyasirisorost/Getty Images

 

    I recently helped run a Tuesday Conversation (program for Honor's freshmen in which faculty teach them about a variety of subjects) in which Alicia Cunningham-Bryant talked about mummies, aliens, and pyramids. I remember attending this Tuesday Conversation when I was a freshman and I thought it was super eye opening. Alicia Cunningham-Bryant is a super cool Egyptologist, that we were fortunate to learn from. She began the conversation by showing the freshmen Steve Martin's King Tut skit on SNL and getting their thoughts on it. Most students recognized that Steve Martin's King Tut skit was cultural appropriation and a misrepresentation of Egyptian culture. Alicia noted that overall, the field of  Egyptology super racist and problematic as it began with white historians and anthropologists stealing ancient artifacts from the Egyptian people. When thinking about Egyptology and Egypt, one thing that comes to many people's minds is the Great Pyramid of Giza. 

    Alicia talked about a show on the History channel called Ancient Aliens. Ancient Aliens is a show that explores the controversial theory that extraterrestrials have been visiting the earth for millions of years. Season one episode six titled "Chariots, Gods, and Beyond" argues that pyramids all over the world were built by aliens, and they use the Pyramids of Giza to build their argument. The various "experts" on the show argue that Ancient Egyptians couldn't have built the pyramids, and they give the following evidence: 

    1) Pyramids are really hard to build 

    2) It is impossible to complete a pyramid in 22 years

    3) The precision of carving and alignment of blocks by humans is highly improbable

    4) People today can't figure out how they were built

    5) There is a religious text in Judaism, the Book of Enoch that alludes to the pyramids being built by aliens

After watching a clip of the episode where "experts" give this evidence, Alicia asked the students in the room to determine the argument of the episode, which is that ancient Egyptians couldn't have build the pyramids, and that they must have been built by aliens. Alicia then asked the students if this argument was racist. 

    I was curious to hear what the students thought. Out of the four groups, two thought the argument was racist, one were unsure, and one group said it was not. The "yes it is racist" groups reasoning was that  it discredits the people who actually made the pyramids, people don't question who built buildings in ancient white cultures, and that it was rooted in ethnocentrism because of the argument that people today couldn't figure it out, so how could the ancient Egyptians? The "no it is not racist" group said that humans in general couldn't make the pyramid with the technology available at the time, and that it was an issue of technology and not race. 

    Then Alicia discussed the evidence given in Ancient Aliens and disproved every single piece of evidence mentioned above. Starting with number 2, there is no historical text that says that the great pyramid took 22 years to build, there is nothing to support that claim. In regards to number 5, they interpreted part of the text as alluding to aliens building the pyramids, and there are other ways to interpret the text. Additionally, the Book of Enoch is not part of the canon in Judaism, meaning that it is not an official, reputable religious text. As for numbers 1, 3, and 5, there is evidence that ancient Egyptians built the pyramids. The Pyramids of Dahshur show multiple attempts to build a pyramid with the first pyramid being to narrow and collapsing, the second pyramid being bent (the Bent Pyramid), and the third being the Red Pyramid. Here's the kicker, the Pyramids of Dahshur are visible from the Pyramids at Giza, but very few tourists go there and many people are not taught about any of the Pyramids of Dahshur. 

    So, is the argument that ancient aliens built the great pyramids racist? Absolutely. As the "yes it is racist" groups mentioned there are a variety of reasons it is racist. Architectural marvels built by the Romans and Greeks aren't said to have been made by aliens, even if people today can't figure out how they were made. Only the architectural work of civilizations of people of color is discredited and attributed to aliens. This is rooted in ethnocentrism. People assume that people today are so much smarter than ancient Egyptians and therefore because modern day people can't figure out how the pyramids were built, it's not possible that ancient Egyptians were smarter than us and figured it out. Pyramids have also been found in Central and South America, which the show says were also made by aliens, so why did this episode center around the Great Pyramids in Egypt? One explanation is that Western society minimizes or doesn't acknowledge the work and achievements of people of color, especially African countries. 

    I want to remind you that Ancient Aliens is on the History channel and has made 18 seasons. The show being on the history channel gives it another level of validation that what the "experts" in the show tell you is true. This is hugely problematic as they are pushing ideas rooted in racism. They're counting on viewers knowing very little or nothing about the topics they cover, so you don't question their evidence. With out help from Alicia, an Egyptologist, me and the other students wouldn't know that the evidence they used was false. Alicia's parting message to the students was to be an educated consumer and think of what you're being sold when watching TV shows like this by asking yourself what is the thesis? what is the evidence? This is great advice that everyone should follow.