October 03, 2008

Mesoamerican and Egyptian pyramids

Pyramids Schmeramids:  Why the Pyramids of Egypt and Mesoamerica Do Not Share a Common SourceWhen one scrutinizes the monuments of Mesoamerica and Egypt, it is quite apparent that they were not, other than their megalithic size, affiliated in any discernible way. Not only are the construction methods (cut stone vs. rubble), building materials (stone and stucco vs. wholly stone), relative locations (urban vs. rural), design (truncated vs. true pyramids), and function (public vs. private) all substantially different, these monuments are separated by approximately two millennia. With these inconsistencies, authors resort to complex plot lines, and out-of-this-world explanations because that is the only way to connect two wholly different structures.

In fact, the only reason such beliefs persist is mankind’s deep sense of romanticism and mankind’s even deeper sense of exploiting romanticism for profit. Books like Fingerprints of the Gods, The Orion Mystery, The Message of the Sphinx, and The Mayan Prophecies purporting such outlandish theories as ancient astronauts, Martian civilization, and Atlantis routinely outsell books on "hard" archaeology. So, as long as people want to believe the pyramids of Mexico and Egypt share a common source, they’ll be able to affirm their beliefs, at least to themselves, by charging $19.95 plus shipping and handling to their Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover at Amazon.com.Comment:  Claiming that Mesoamericans copied Egyptian pyramids is akin to saying they couldn't have built pyramids on their own. It stereotypes them as primitive and savage.

Let's note that Native cultures built mounds, which are a kind of primitive pyramid, all over the South and Midwest. Were they all influenced by Egyptians? Or is raising oneself above the ground, reaching for the heavens, a natural inclination of people everywhere?

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3 comments:

  1. writerfella10:01 PM

    Writerfella here --
    writerfella is in Miami and having a blast! Of course MesoAmerican pyramids and Egyptian pyramids have little or no commonality. Ziggurats almost always were based on existing culture among worldwide native peoples who had no personal contact with each other. Human ideas have only one commonality: they were conceived by humans, period. Consider also that the periods in which the pyramids were built were divorced in time by millennia and geography and no earthly contact among the builders ever has been shown to have occurred. Only legends seem to indicate that some form of kinship was possible and legends cannot be proven. Plus, MesoAmerican pyramids were four-sided and truncated, whereas other such structures worldwide were three-sided and peak-pointed. When "How Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth" by writerfella and David Wise was being voice-recorded, Leonard Nimoy came to the both of us, asked if that constituted STAR TREK's homage to Erich von Daniken, was told 'Yes,' and he shook our hands. "Love it," he said, and then he told us about his upcoming syndicated series, IN SEARCH OF... And he went home from Filmation Studios, as did we, very much happy...
    All Best
    Russ Bates
    'writerfella'

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  2. Rob7:15 AM

    Considering how often people claim a connection between Mesoamerican and Egyptian pyramids, I deemed it worthwhile to post something on the matter.

    P.S. Egyptian pyramids have four sides, not three.

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  3. dmarks8:17 PM

    I don't think that 3-sided pyramids are that common. I had trouble finding any.

    ReplyDelete

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