I just read a Washington Post story in which scientists claim they have uncovered the secret of how the pyramid stones were moved without using modern technology. This is the latest in a series of explanations as to how the pyramids were constructed. Based on hieroglyphics found on a wall in one of the tombs, scientists speculated the ancient engineers cut the stone and then used a sledge to move it across the desert to the building site.

The trick here was that on dry sand, the weight of the stones would cause the sand to bind up and heap in front of the sledge. Using the hieroglyphics which depict a figure pouring something in front of the sledge, scientists deduced that the trick was to dampen the sand with water. When the sand was dampened, it became hard and firm and the sledge would move more easily across the desert, delivering the massive cargo to its destination. Scientists used a scale model to prove the theory was feasible. Of course they have not yet demonstrated it in actual scale, and even if they did, there are many other mysteries that need to be solved before the construction of the pyramids could be completely explained.I was intrigued with this story, and in light of this new finding, I found a very intriguing video online about how Stonehenge may have been constructed with few people. A retired Michigan construction worker named Wally Wallington demonstrated how he can move massive objects alone with the use of primitive techniques. The six-minute video begins by showing him rolling some large blocks along his patio, but it quickly becomes more intriguing.Wallington describes how to move a large, rectangular concrete block by fastening over the upper half of the block a large wooden lever that extends out several feet on either end to give him leverage. He shows a pebble about three inches in diameter, and by tipping the stone slightly and placing the pebble underneath, he is able to easily move the block in circles. He explains that in order to move it from one place to another, all he needs to do is place a second pebble and then rotate the stone over it. By moving the pebbles and rotating the block using the lever, he can easily move the block quite a distance.Upon watching the explanation, I was completely fascinated, but this first part was minor compared to what Wallington demonstrated next. He said his goal was to use these ancient techniques to build a Stonehenge in the backyard of his Michigan home. That means not only moving these large blocks but raising them as well. The manner in which he raises these blocks upright is astoundingly simple.He begins by building a fulcrum on either side of the stone with a frame. Using counterweights on either end of the block, he begins to place boards on the opposite side of the fulcrum's center and then moves the counterweights to the opposite end, causing the block to tilt in that direction. He slides another piece of wood in the opposite side again. By repeating this method several times, he is able to gradually raise the block off the ground, balancing it like a teeter-totter. The goal is to move the block about 3 feet off the ground. Once this step is completed, Wallington prepares a hole on one end and covers the top edge with sand.He releases the counterweights, and using a rope begins to right the block into the hole in the ground. As he raises the block into the hole, it comes in contact with the sand on top. The next step is to just wash the water away, which he does with a hose. As the sand washes away from the hole, the stone slips upright into the hole, where he is able to balance and fill in around it to adjust it so it is level and vertical.It may not sound amazing in print, but to see it is a completely different matter. With just this six minutes of YouTube video, one not only appreciates how Stonehenge was built, but for the first time can actually believe it was built by ordinary people with ordinary machines such as levers and fulcrums. While we like to speculate about ancient aliens and UFOs and divine guidance, sometimes the explanation is much more mundane.We may never know exactly how Stonehenge was constructed or the pyramids and even if the construction technique is practical and feasible, there is still so much more to consider that makes these ancient mysteries still quite intriguing. For example, how did those ancient builders know the measurements of the Earth and incorporate them so cleverly into the pyramids? How did they know how to position Stonehenge to properly interact with the solstices and Equinoxes? These are still mysteries we may never solve.Till next time …