Boffins uncover 5,000-year-old secret in Egypt’s pyramids that changes their whole understanding

Scientists have cracked how Egypt’s Great Pyramid survives massive earthquakes completely unharmed, thanks to a genius, built-in shock-absorption design

Egypt’s legendary Great Pyramid has baffled experts for millennia – but boffins believe they have finally cracked the secret behind its unbreakable design. The ancient mega-tomb has stood tall against everything Mother Nature could throw at it for 4,600 years, including massive earthquakes that would flatten modern cities.

Scientists have figured out exactly how Pharaoh Khufu’s monumental tribute defied the odds, pointing to a series of genius, built-in engineering tricks.

Despite being rattled by terrifying tremors measuring up to 6.8 on the Richter scale – shocks powerful enough to smash buildings up to 155 miles away – the pyramid hasn’t suffered any major damage inside or out

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Experts from the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics discovered that the builders used a combination of solid limestone foundations, a rock-steady symmetrical shape, a rigid framework and pressure-relieving gaps above the iconic King’s Chamber.

The research team said: “These findings present compelling quantitative evidence that ancient Egyptian architects possessed profound geotechnical understanding.

“The pyramid is distinguished by certain geometric aspects and features from an engineering point of view that make it one of the best designs resistant to earthquakes.”

For their study in the journal Scientific Reports, the team tracked vibrations at 37 different hotspots across the site, checking out the inner chambers, the giant blocks and the dirt outside.

They found the pyramid vibrates at a frequency of 2.0 to 2.6 hertz, meaning mechanical stress is spread out perfectly across the whole monument. Crucially, the soil around it vibrates at a much slower 0.6 hertz.

When a building and the ground shake at the same speed, catastrophic damage occurs. Because the pyramid naturally vibrates at a much “faster” and “stiffer” rate than the swaying earth beneath it, the deadly earthquake energy simply cannot transfer efficiently into the structure.

The tech-heavy study showed that while vibrations got stronger the higher they went, the weird cavity just above the King’s Chamber actually slowed the shaking down, acting like a shield.

The boffins said: “This result is consistent with the idea that the design of these rooms contributes to diminishing the stresses on the King’s Chamber.”

The experts reckon the five specific chambers were designed to swallow up or redirect the violent shaking. Combined with a wide base and a low centre of mass, the pyramid is practically impossible to knock over.

The archaeologists said: “The observed frequency separation between soil (0.6 Hz) and pyramid structure (2.3 Hz) indicates naturally reduced resonance risk, which may contribute to the monument’s remarkable seismic endurance over millennia.”

However, sounding a note of caution, they added: “Any suggestion of intentional seismic optimisation by ancient Egyptian architects remains purely speculative.”

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