Israeli Experts: No, Ben Carson, the Pyramids Were Tombs, Not Grain Silos
- 8 years ago
Israeli Egyptologists are snorting at Republican hopeful Ben Carson's latest bombshell - that the ancient pyramids of Egypt weren't built as tombs for pharaohs, but as grain silos.
Admittedly, said bombshell was dropped in 1998, while Carson was speaking at Andrews University, a school associated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, to which he belongs.
"My own personal theory is that Joseph built the pyramids to store grain," Carson said in the video, which resurfaced Wednesday on Buzzfeed.
"When Egyptian pyramids are mentioned, people tend to think of the three huge pyramids of Giza, built circa 2589-2503 B.C.E.
But in fact, these are the most spectacular part of a far-longer tradition of pyramid building, from ca. 2686 to ca. 2160 B.C.E., and then again from 1985 to about 1750 B.C.E.," Tel Aviv University's Dr. Deborah Sweeney tells Haaretz in an email response to queries about Mr. Carson's unusual views.
Admittedly, said bombshell was dropped in 1998, while Carson was speaking at Andrews University, a school associated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, to which he belongs.
"My own personal theory is that Joseph built the pyramids to store grain," Carson said in the video, which resurfaced Wednesday on Buzzfeed.
"When Egyptian pyramids are mentioned, people tend to think of the three huge pyramids of Giza, built circa 2589-2503 B.C.E.
But in fact, these are the most spectacular part of a far-longer tradition of pyramid building, from ca. 2686 to ca. 2160 B.C.E., and then again from 1985 to about 1750 B.C.E.," Tel Aviv University's Dr. Deborah Sweeney tells Haaretz in an email response to queries about Mr. Carson's unusual views.