The Great Pyramid of Egypt has more sides than previously thought – not four | World

New discoveries about the great pyramids of Egypt seem to occur almost weekly, and many mysteries are still waiting to be solved.

For example, what was sealed in the Great Pyramid of Giza 4,500 years ago? How were materials delivered to the site before construction began?

Even so, something seemingly as simple as “How many sides does the Great Pyramid have?” does not give the expected answer.

The answer is not four.

Modern society did not confirm this correct number until RAF pilot P. Groves photographed the pyramid from above in 1926.

From this perspective, it can be seen that the sides of the pyramid are largely independent along their middle.

“The Great Pyramid of Giza is known to have a surprising concavity pattern: each of its four faces is slightly recessed along the center line, from the base to the apex,” explained Akio Kato from the Department of Mathematics and Physics at Kanagawa University, Japan. , V 2023 paper.

“In other words, the Great Pyramid is a concave octagonal pyramid, not a standard square pyramid. This concavity is (too) subtle to be seen from any position on the ground, but can be observed from the air.”

It is believed that these indentations give the pyramids stability and durability.

“The inclined layers together with a reinforced base were necessary for the long-term stability of the Pyramid against harsh natural forces such as strong gravitational compression, earthquakes and rainstorms, indicating the fact that the Pyramid survived heavy rainfall more than 500 times. once every 4,500 years,” Kato wrote.

“The critical point regarding stability is that the impact of such natural forces is quite different between the core of inclined routes and the core of truly flat routes in the sense that the former can be toughened to become stronger over time, while the latter will disintegrate. become weaker over time.”

The fact that the pyramids still stand today is a testament to how good the ancient Egyptian engineers were.

However, the design is not flawless.

Some sealed corridors and the spaces within the structure may have been abandoned by the builders when they proved unstable, raising questions about whether this was a deliberate design choice or simply materialized.