Beyond the Sands of Time: Reconsidering the Dating of the Pyramids

SUNDAY EDITORIAL EDITION 

Where the week's noise fades, and the ancient signals grow clear.

The Great Pyramid of Giza, standing as the last of the ancient world’s Seven Wonders, has long been officially dated to the reign of Pharaoh Khufu around 2560 BCE. This date, established through archaeological context, historical cross-referencing, and limited radiocarbon dating, forms a cornerstone of our understanding of Old Kingdom Egypt. However, a provocative new study challenges this timeline, suggesting the monument’s origins may lie in a far more distant, and mysterious, past.

In a recent Preliminary Report on the Absolute Dating of the Khufu Pyramid Using the Relative Erosion Method (REM), engineer Alberto Donini proposes a radical re-dating. His method analyzes the differential erosion between limestone blocks that have been exposed since the pyramid’s construction and those that were protected under the outer casing until roughly 675 years ago (when earthquakes and later quarrying removed them for building materials in Cairo).

By calculating the ratio of erosion volumes and assuming a linear erosion rate, Donini’s REM analysis of 12 points on the pyramid yields an average estimated construction date of approximately 24,941 years Before Present (BP), or roughly 22,900 BCE. His statistical model suggests a 68.2% probability that the true date falls between 10,979 and 38,903 years BP. This conclusion, if validated, would not only rewrite the history of the Giza Plateau but of human civilization itself.

The Scientific Conversation About Pyramid Dating: A Clash of Chronologies

Donini’s REM method stands in stark contrast to established archaeological science. Mainstream Egyptology relies on a multi-proxy approach:

• Historical & Textual Evidence: While no contemporary building inscription exists inside the Great Pyramid, the nearby “Inventory Stela” (though likely a later copy) explicitly states Khufu found the Temple of Isis next to the pyramid and built his own pyramid beside that of the goddess. The Papyrus of Merer, a logbook from Khufu’s reign, documents the transportation of limestone blocks to Giza, strongly implying major construction activity.

• Radiocarbon Dating: Programs like the David H. Koch Pyramids Radiocarbon Project have dated organic material (such as charcoal in mortar) from Giza. Results cluster around 2850–2600 BCE, with margins of error. While these dates can be affected by "old wood" problems (using millennia-old timber as fuel), they consistently point to a 3rd millennium BCE context.

• Archaeological Stratigraphy: The entire Giza necropolis—worker tombs, quarries, satellite pyramids, and the Sphinx temple—shows a coherent archaeological layer and stylistic evolution placing the major pyramids squarely in the 4th Dynasty.

Ancient Voices and Modern Questions

Ancient texts add layers of intrigue. The Greek historian Herodotus (5th century BCE) recorded that the pyramids were built by kings Cheops (Khufu) and Chephren (Khafre), but he wrote over 2,000 years after the fact. More enigmatic are later Arabic traditions, like those cited by Al-Masudi in the 10th century CE, which sometimes attributed the pyramids to antediluvian kings or the sage Sūrīd, built as repositories of knowledge before a great catastrophe.

Donini’s hypothesis—that Khufu merely renovated a vastly older structure—echoes these alternative traditions. It proposes that the pharaohs of the 4th Dynasty inherited, restored, and inscribed their names upon monoliths from a lost epoch.

When do you believe the Great Pyramid of Giza was primarily constructed?

• During the reign of Pharaoh Khufu (~2560 BC)
• In a much earlier period (10,000+ BC)
• It was built in stages- later renovated by Khufu
• The evidence is still too unclear to make a call

Voted? Joint the deeper discussion in our forums or leave a comment below sharing your reasoning. Your perspective adds to the ongoing investigation into humanity's ancient past!

A Call for Interdisciplinary Dialogue

The REM report is a preliminary foray, and its methodology faces significant scrutiny from geologists and archaeologists. Key questions remain:

• Is erosion truly linear over millennia? Climate shifts (like the African Humid Period), variable sand coverage, and salt weathering cycles make a constant erosion rate (the k in Donini’s E=kt formula) a major assumption.

• Can localized erosion patterns be generalized? Surface wear on a single block may not reflect the history of the entire 6-million-tonne structure.

• How do we reconcile this with the totality of evidence? A complete theory must also account for the 4th Dynasty worker settlements, tools, quarries, and the seamless cultural progression seen in Egyptian art and architecture.

Here we explore how non-traditional methods can shed new light on the past. The REM study, while controversial, underscores a vital principle: our understanding of antiquity must remain open to interrogation through new lenses and rigorous, replicable data.

The quest to date the pyramids is not merely about pinning down a year; it is a fundamental inquiry into the origins of complex society, the resilience of knowledge, and the possibility of lost chapters in the human story. Whether built by the mighty Khufu or by a civilization lost to the last Ice Age, the pyramids continue to challenge our assumptions, inviting scientists, engineers, and dreamers to listen closely to the whispers in their stones.

What do you think? Join the conversation in the comment section below.

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References & Further Reading:

1. Donini, A. (2026). Preliminary Report on the Absolute Dating of the Khufu Pyramid Using the Relative Erosion Method (REM).

2. Lehner, M. (1997). The Complete Pyramids. Thames & Hudson.

3. Bonani, G., et al. (2001). "Radiocarbon Dates of Old and Middle Kingdom Monuments in Egypt." Radiocarbon, 43(3).

4. Tallet, P. (2017). Les papyrus de la mer Rouge I: Le journal de Merer. Institut français d'archéologie orientale.

5. Herodotus. The Histories, Book II. (c. 430 BCE).

6. Al-Masudi. The Meadows of Gold and Mines of Gems. (10th century CE).

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About the Author

Amanda Victoria Chance, MD, is an Internal Medicine board-certified physician reviving ancient healing practices. Also certified in Lifestyle Medicine, she bridges millennia-old vibrational wisdom with evidence-based lifestyle interventions-- including nutrition, stress resilience, and non-pharmacological therapies-- to activate whole person care. She co-leads transformative healing journeys in Egypt with her husband-- including resonance-based experiences inspired by Saqqara's legendary "healing hospital," a site documented in Gaia's The Pyramid Code through her husband's grandfather's archival legacy.