Pyramid Archives - usatoday24

We have been wondering for 4,500 years why the Great Pyramid of Giza resists earthquakes. Physics finally has the answer

May 24, 2026 by usatoday24

Throughout its more than 4,500 years of history, the Great Pyramid of Gizathe tomb of Pharaoh Cheops, has witnessed the rise and fall of empires, the erosion of the desert and also the earthquakes in an area with very intense seismic activity. This is crucial, because while the Alexandria Lighthouse or the Colossus of Rhodes succumbed to the Earth’s tremors, the 138-meter-high mass has remained immovable. The secrets Their longevity has been a topic of conversation for decades among Egyptologists, engineers and architects who tried to understand why they were still standing. And it is logical, because every physical object has a “natural frequency” of vibration, and this is crucial because when the seismic waves of an earthquake coincide with the frequency of an object, a very important amplification effect is produced. It is an effect that we can see, for example, on a swing, since we push it at the exact moment so that it goes higher and higher. And this is where the “superpower” of the Great Pyramid lies. What does it consist of? According to a study published in Scientific Reports, the pyramid and the ground on which it sits dance to completely different rhythms. This means that the pyramid has a natural vibration frequency which is around 2.3 Hz. For its part, the surrounding terrain of the Giza Plateau vibrates at a drastically lower frequency, close to 0.6 Hz. This mathematical gap is a true structural lifesaver, since, since there is no coincidence between the frequency of the stone mass and that of the ground during a seismic event, resonance is practically impossible. Waves from the earthquake pass through the area, but the pyramid does not amplify the vibration, dispelling the danger of a catastrophic collapse. It is, in modern terms, perfect passive seismic isolation behavior. Extreme geometry. This frequency decoupling is one part of the equation, since the focus is also on the impeccable architectural design and geometric of construction, which provides a uniform structural response to any mechanical stress. All this is thanks to the ingenuity of Egyptian engineers who created an artificial monolith that defies the laws of destruction through several characteristics, such as greatly lowering the center of gravity. And, unlike modern structures that are slender, in pyramids the vast majority of stones are concentrated in their lower third. This makes the building virtually impossible to overturn, regardless of the violence of the transverse shaking. More reasons. The square pyramid shape is not just an aesthetic or religious choice, but it is the most stable geometric figure that exists to withstand compression. Symmetry ensures that when seismic waves shake the building, the load and stress are distributed equally across all faces, avoiding critical fracture points. The internal chambers. One of the details that the investigation has pointed out is the unsuspected role of the famous internal chambers of the pyramidlike the King’s Chamber. Historically, they have been analyzed from a funerary perspective, but it is now suggested that, together with the impressive granite discharge blocks, they also act as a system to dissipate energy. In this way, seismic waves that manage to penetrate the structure encounter abrupt changes in the density of the matter, which causes the waves to refract and disperse. Did they do it on purpose? This is the question we can ask ourselves after reading all this, and the most plausible answer is that the Egyptians did not handle all these technical concepts, but they were absolute masters of empirical engineering. Through observation, trial, error and a deep knowledge of the materials, they arrived at the optimal solution so that they would last for life. They built for eternity based on massive stability and, in doing so, accidentally designed a building that meets the same safety parameters that we demand of our most critical infrastructure today to prevent them from collapsing in an earthquake. Images | Jeremy Bishop In Xataka | What we see in Petra is a city “carved in stone”: what it really hides is an amazing water system

The “richest treasure in America” is not a pyramid, but the imposing collection of a Mixteca princess of 800 years ago

August 23, 2025 by usatoday24

Mexico is an inexhaustible source of pre -Hispanic treasures findings. We continue discovering vestiges of the past practically every week and it is something that He has shot with the Mayan train project and with the latest technology tools. Thanks to the latter, we have been able to find hidden pyramids, Underground areas And it is something that can give a push in the Study of old structures. However, there are pieces that, although we discover a few years ago, are still of great value. An example is the treasure of the tomb 7 of Monte Albán, which some continue to consider “the richest treasure in America.” Not only are hundred pieces, but they have a really enviable state of conservation. The Mixteca Treasure of Tomb 7 In January 1932, Dr. Alfonso Caso discovered at the archaeological site of Tomb 7 of Monte Albán one of the biggest pre -Hispanic treasures in history. At the time of its finding, a first restoration was carried out, but care was also carried out both in 1944 and a few years ago, with the objective not only of studying the pieces, but of restoring those that were precise and carrying out an adequate conservation process. In total, it is a set of more than 230 pieces made with sacred materials in the pre -Hispanic era, such as gold, silver, rock glass and precious stones such as turquoise, obsidian and green stone. The state of conservation of many of these objects is imposing. There are also less striking objects such as those made from bone or an alabaster pot. But … Where do these luxury objects come from? INAH researchers They offered context to the pieces, affirming that their origins date from the union of a lord of the dynasty of Zaachila and a Mixtec lady at some point between the 1,200 and 1,400 after Christ. Skull decorated with turquoise mosaics and shells Rock glass glass Locked bone with turquoise embedding Specifically, from the National Institute of Anthropology and History they comment that it was a union between “Mr. 5 Flor, of the Zaachila dynasty, with the princess of the Mixteco kingdom of Teoxacualco, Mrs. 4 Rabbit ‘Quetzal’”. The princess would have used the tomb 7 as a sanctuary to deposit the Tnaniwrappers in which the relics of the ancestors such as effigies of great value and other luxurious objects were kept. And, judging by the photos of the articles, the princess’s treasure was not small, precisely. Now, when these articles were found, they did not look as well as in the photographs that accompany these lines. According to INAH, it was necessary and meticulous restoration process so that we can admire the details of each of these pieces. Mask that represents the god Xipe Totec made in molten and soldier gold A pot with support manufactured in alabaster Bezote that represents the head of a jade stone foisan. The posterior plug is gold sheet This includes the recovery of the properties of its color, the polished finish of some objects and the reflective power of others. In whatever it may be, work was worth work, since the collection has an imposing presence and, beyond the photographs that INAH himself Share On its website (where we can see descriptions of each object), you can see live in room III of the Museum of Cultures of Oaxaca. And, in addition to admiring the goldsmithing of each piece, it is interesting to note that this treasure is important because it demonstrates not only how certain materials already worked on what they gave importance, but some of them were achieved thanks to the exchange and trade networks between different Mesoamerican sites. This is something extremely significant that, little by little, we are knowing and that tells us about the cultural wealth of some sites. A recent example is the study of Channels from Mexico City That, precisely, it was an imposing cultural center thanks to those commercial activities. Images | INAH In Xataka | The Maya played football. And now we know that under the courts they buried a hallucinogenic surprise *An earlier version of this article was published in August 2024

Everyone thinks that the Great Guiza Pyramid in Egypt has four sides. From space you look very different

May 24, 2025 by usatoday24

A team of Japan researchers scanned under the sand surface in a “blank area” of Giza’s western cemetery next to the Great Keops pyramid. Had found something surprising: an old Egyptian structure in underground. That finding is still involved in the mystery, because it was dwarfed with Another study that he had discovered something fascinating: the great Guiza pyramid does not have four sides, and that explained His longevity. A wonder with trick. For millennia, the Great Guiza Pyramid It has been celebrated as the epitome of the perfect geometry: four imposing triangular faces converging in a majestic apex. However, an unsuspected structural detail had remained hidden with the naked eye: the pyramid It does not have four sides, but eight. Chronology. We are not crazy. The revelationconfirmed by air observations and Modern researchpoints to a concavity in the center of each face, one that is invisible from land, but detectable low certain conditions of lighting or from the sky/space. The first to realize something was the British pilot P. Groves In 1926, when captured an image Air that revealed a subtle but decisive geometric truth. Each of the four apparent sides of the pyramid has a central cleft from the base to the cusp, which turns its plant into a figure eight sidesNot in a home run. Already in 1940, the Egyptologist Flinders Petrieby analyzing historical illustrations, he noticed A hollow line along each face of the pyramid. Decades later, experts like IES Edwards And more recently the Mathematician Akio Kato They supported this hypothesis in their work, noting that the stone blocks were arranged with a Mild inclination towards the center, creating a subtle and almost imperceptible longitudinal depression. Kato described the great pyramid not as a square pyramid, but as a Concava octagonal pyramid. One of the first images where depression was appreciated (taken by groves) An engineering feat. The curious thing about history is that, far from being an aesthetic anomaly, these clefts aim to fulfill a Structural function vital. According to Kato’s study, the inclined layers next to a reinforced base allow the pyramid nucleus to Compacte and strengthen Over time, thus resisting gravitational compression, earthquakes and storms, even after having faced more than 500 episodes of heavy rains in 4,500 years. In other words: this characteristic would have been key to ensuring the long -term stability of a colossal size structure exposed to extreme conditions, and possibly was not a mere side effect of construction, but a sophisticated architectural strategy. Between intention and accident. However, not everything in the Great Pyramid responds to the master plan of an infallible civilization. Throughout their runners and sealed cameras, abandoned spaces have been found that could Unstable result During construction, which leaves open the possibility that the unique concavity has been, in part, the result of improvised adjustments rather than a completely premeditated design. No doubt, ambiguity does not remain merit to the ancient builders, but underline their pragmatism: modify the course when the conditions demanded it, and incorporate the accidental as part of the lasting structure. What the geometry hides. In short, that its mathematical truth has remained hidden with the naked eye for millennia highlights an essential lesson on The great pyramid: Secrets continues to reveal despite his universal fame. What seemed to be an elementary geometric figure becomes, under a new look from the air, a sample of invisible complexity, and technical decisions so advanced that today they still baffle us. The revelation of your Concava octagonal form Not only challenges our preconceived notions, but reaffirms the fascination that always accompanies Guiza, a pyramid that, as far as we know (and we do not rule out new surprises), is a unique geometric rarity in its species. Image | Douwe C. van der Zee In Xataka | After scanning a “blank area” under the pyramids of Giza, we have found something even more mysterious: a structure in L In Xataka | Egypt has a problem with their pyramids: when tourists discover what they are back traumatized

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