4 Mysteries From Ancient Egypt We Still Can't Figure Out

I've always respected Egyptian history and cultures with having rich histories and amazing rituals and I find that I would actually have liked to learn about all the ancient aspects of Egyptian life than European history in high school.[CN]

我一向敬仰埃及历史和文化，它拥有丰富的内涵，令人惊叹的仪式。高中时期，我对古埃及人民生活方方面面的兴趣可比欧洲历史浓多了。

They do teach this.. I have a friend that is Caucasian and grew up "Jewish". She states that her Rabbi teaches (I forgot the name of the doctrine, but it is a prolific teaching) that their original people were dark once and just whitened up.[CN]

他们的确是这么教的…我有个朋友，生是高加索人，受犹太教育长大。他说他的老师教导他们（忘记教义名称是什么了但是内容很丰富）他们原先是乌黑色人种，后来越变越白了。

The question posed wasn't asking who, but how. Those stones are thousands of pounds each, and they had no trucks, cranes, or bulldozers to move them. Carts with wheels don't move well in sand, either. The time and the effort to build even one small pyramid would have been monumental, unless they had out-of-the-box techniques we havent learned of yet. Or aliens helping.[CN]

提出的问题不是问谁建的，而是怎么建起来的。这些石头都好几千英镑，他们没卡车，起重机，推土机等工具来推动巨石。有轮的手推车在沙里又移动艰难。即使不遗余力，耗尽时间能建成一个小金字塔都足以载入史册了，除非他们有我们为学到的极为优秀的技术。或者有外星人的帮忙。

but is it an insult to their "Intelligence" to suggest they used thousands of slaves to work for them?????[CN]

说他们驱使成千上万的奴隶为他们劳作就是对他们智力的侮辱？

Some fairly recent research suggests that the pyramids were not built by slaves but by a privileged class of construction workers, apparently organized in similar manner to the crafts of medieval Europe.[CN]

最近一些公正的调查指出，金字塔非奴隶建成的，而是一些高层的建筑工人。明显类似于中欧的手艺的方式。

Slave labor? Some more recent research and found records strongly imply that most of labor was hired for less than years time, then maybe some hired for another term. records of payment for laborers at end of term- so much cloth, so much in grain to take back to hired village, oil and salt. New group of people hired for 3 to 4 months between planting and harvest time- food rations, cloth and oil for end of term needed from priest granaries. 'Hiburu' tax implies Hebrew and the 'tax' was for seasonal grazing rights outside of Gaza. 'Militia' muster for spring flood work, other building projects, defense from 'Lybians' and the amount to be paid in food stocks, salt and oil, grain, beer. Some craftsmen getting double portion of beer compared to common labor. Labor camp ground with lots of midden pits with meat scraps, boiled bones indicate a 'heavy labor' diet provided. The labor for public building, grave markers and tombs as a public works project between planting and harvest times with the economic benefits of hired labor having some sort of money or trade goods after the labor details similar to the old Roman Legion practice-- idle troops canbe a problem, put the trained to work as team troopers to work on bridges, bath houses, roads. Egyptian 'Militia' was a part labor force, part military reserve.[CN]

奴工？最近一些调查和已存的记录说明大部分劳工都是雇佣不足一年。有些可能会下一期再雇。工期结束劳工还有付款记录。 - 大把的衣物，大把的粮食带回到出人做劳力的乡村，还有油盐。收割农忙时间雇佣3-4个月的新人群，工期结束则从牧师谷仓配备粮食数量，衣物，油。Hiburu税是指希伯人以及其在加沙境外季度性的放牧权。“民兵”负责防洪工作，其他建设项目，防卫“利比亚人”，和保卫一定数量的食物储备，油盐谷物啤酒。一些手工艺人比起普通劳工可以获得两倍分量的酒。劳工营地下埋藏大量的贝冢，肉沫，煮过的骨头，这些都显示劳工的丰盛餐。

Right. The Ptolemy dynasty to which she belonged descended from one of Alexander of Macedon's generals. They ruled the country for about 300 years and although they found it convenient to adopt the traditions, religion and garments of the Pharaohs, they were not really Egyptians.

- Wash the body with milk and honey or herbal scented waters and perfumes

- Remove organs, preserve them (probably with salts and resins), then store the liver, lungs, intestines, and stomach in 4 separate jars

- Stuff body with salt and perfumes and herbs and let it sit for a few days

- Remove salt and herbs, restuff body with stuffing and herbs

- Wrap body in linen layered with resin and amulets

Freshly made mummy.

It takes at least 20,000 years for humans to mutate to match their environment.

Because they don't have pictures from 5 thousand years ago. Cameras weren't invented yet.

Eric Lets just ignore all their wall paintings

@James, there are no wall paintings in the Pyramids.

I'm not quite sure that's true, as we don't know for sure who her mother was. While she might have been another inbred European Ptolemy, her sister Arsinoe was described as being distinctly mixed race, so it would make sense that when the (anti-foreigner) Romans described her as being unattractive, they were merely dismissing her for being un-European looking rather than ugly.

Liz was there to get you to read the dross...

Eric, It's pretty obvious that you know next to nothing about Egyptian history. Cleopatra ruled Egypt a little over 2,000 years ago, not 5,000 years ago. Even if there were wall paintings in the Pyramids, she would not have been depicted in any of them anymore than Benito Mussolini would have been depicted in Ancient Roman pieces of art.

Shut up

some say 50,000 years ago before the pole shift.

Nope - There is no body there. I have climbed inside the pyramid to the king's burial chamber. There is an empty sarcophagus there but no body.

well...his desiccated body and dried out bones...lol...

They have never found a mummy in a pyramid if my memory serves me right. The nobles were burried in the "valley of the kings".

Thank you professor Austin....yawn.

Austin We know that Sub Saharan Africans did not stay in Africa they traveled the World. The Chinese came from a sub Saharan African, The Nordics Came from Sub Saharan African, thats a fact. The Sub Saharans mated with Neanderthal creating caucasians that is a Fact.

No, rulers wanted to live forever.

It's difficult because so much of the history has been deliberately destroyed to hide knowledge.

Get the DVD course from the Learning Company, the Great Courses. The lectures are given by Robert Brier, noted Egyptologist. 48 half-hour lectures.

Not cheap, but worth it.

Its a shame, that its dangerous....Otherwise I would like to vacation there

There is a wealth of information from heiroglyphic/English dictionaries to great histories beginning with Breasted's "History of Egypt" to the aforementioned series by the Learning Company. It must be first understood that ancient Egypt was a mortuary civilization whose obsession with immortality was the driving force for much of its monuments, religious beliefs, and certain aspects of daily life. Much of what we can understand of ancient Egypt emanates from this perspective. The tombs attracted grave robbers, which was the reason much was hidden, and why we are so convinced that much remains to be found!

Carol...Best suggestions for the newest research with astounding new ideas about the Egyptians....read Robert Bauval, Robert Schoch, and John Anthony West. Or watch them on youtube. Turns out the Egyptians we know didn't build the Sphinx because the weathering shows it's thousands of years older than the "ancient Egyptians". Turns out that they couldn't have built the Pyramids either because they didn't have the technology...and we don't either. That's just the beginning. Enjoy.

I guess the obsession with immortality is no less different than modern Christianity's obsession with eternal souls, afterlife, hellfire and how to get to these fantastic places.

We took a Trafalgar tour back in 2008. Armed guards, the whole bit. But worth every second. Looking at the Pyramids with your own eyes is like looking at the Grand Canyon the first time. Pictures NOT DO justice. Just don't say you are American. Say you are from California or Canada!

Anything about ancient Egypt creeps me out. No idea why and I've never been. My fascination is with the Mafia in the 30's. Past life memories re both maybe?!

"Secrets of the Great Pyramids," by Peter Tompkins, is a fantastic overview of the very fascinating and complex issues pertaining to the subject. What's best, the author doesn't take sides with any given viewpoint but covers all the questions fairly. Prepare to be amazed!

I too have always been fascinated. Went to an exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Phila for Cleopatra a few years back. Totally fascinating, and the artifacts blew my mind away the intricate metal work in jewelry and coins. And Cleopatra so far ahead of where we are today, we think the idea of a female leader is innovative and intimidating. She was a leader 3,000 years ago.

BS we don't have the technology to build a pyramid. We build MUCH more sophisticated buildings on a daily basis.

What we can't do is build a pyramid for a reasonable COST. Which is understandable, the Egyptians didn't build it for a reasonable cost EITHER. But then, the economic pyramid in Egypt came to a pretty steep point at the Pharoh, so he could AFFORD an unreasonable cost.

Consider all the effort and resources people in America put into their religion. Now, take ALL that effort, combine it into working on ONE monument... and you begin to see how the Egyptians managed it.

On their own, no aliens need apply.

Damn misread that last sentence.

Indisputably solved. Really? There might be a consensus on the most likely cause of death, but no expert thinks the method of death is indisputable.

Netflix also has indisputable evidence on UFO's and aliens....it is just as interesting.

he died from being ran over by a chariot

Just goes to show some of you have not watched the documentary, except Who Cares, obviously did watch it. They proved how he died. He was in fact run over by a chariot, yet by stating that fact he gets all thumbs down. Ironic isn't it.

Ah, the chariot theory, which while popular in 2013, was debunked in 2014. So much for it being indisputably solved.

not etc., etc., etc., but tut tut tut...lol lol lol....

@BobbyE: Can you please provide the source of that debunking? Because the 2013 documentary I mentioned clearly proves he was ran over by a chariot. I've provided my source, so please provide yours.

Wrong again, Egypt means bondage. It's true name was Kemet. Meaning land of black people.

Kemet means "Black Land," that is the dark soil deposited by the Nile, as opposed to the red lands of the deserts around it.

Egypt is the name given to that are after it was invaded. Its old name was Kemet. Stop your nonsense.

@George, Thank you. You are correct, "Black Land".