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Egyptology question...

SixSixSix

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(I'm not sure whether this is properly Science or History, so if a moderator happens to read this and finds it's in the wrong place, please move it accordingly!)

I have a guy at work who has a vague recollection of seeing a documentary on Egypt's pyramids where the guy giving the documentary can apparently prove that they are thousands of years older than currently believed - and that Egyptian culture in general goes back much further. From the sounds of it this was made several years ago, and judging by the lack of Nobel prizes, probably lacked substance. But my friend is adamant that he was successfully refuting the arguments of Dr Zahi Hawass on camera, and that the latter got fairly heated.

I realise this is a really long shot to go on, but has anyone got any idea who he might be talking about - or ideally the name of the documentary?
 
Dr. Hawass doesn't seem to me to be the sort who would engage in on-camera bickering with an alternative-history theorist, so I don't know but I'm a bit skeptical that it was exactly like that.

If they're talking about the "geological" evidence which suggests, for instance, that the Sphinx is thousands of years older than previously believed, that evidence has been fairly well dealt with.
 
Joshua Korosi said:
Dr. Hawass doesn't seem to me to be the sort who would engage in on-camera bickering with an alternative-history theorist, so I don't know but I'm a bit skeptical that it was exactly like that.
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In case it wasn't obvious, I am very skeptical that it happened like that. But that's the description I have to go on...

If they're talking about the "geological" evidence which suggests, for instance, that the Sphinx is thousands of years older than previously believed, that evidence has been fairly well dealt with.
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That might be a good starting point for me to investigate. Any pointers?
 
I have a hunch that they guy in the show is Graham Hancock.

Or, possibly, Erich von Däniken....
 
It's probably Quest for the Lost Civilisation which was presented and written By Graham Hancock - it was if I remember correctly a three part series and I think it was programme number 2 that dealt with the "apparent discrepancies" in the chronology of Egyptian history.
 
SixSixSix said:
(I'm not sure whether this is properly Science or History, so if a moderator happens to read this and finds it's in the wrong place, please move it accordingly!)
Click to expand...
It was a TV show with a guy who wrote a book about the history of Egypt. I think "History, Literature, and the Arts" is as close to correct as possible :)

If it's the one I vaguely remember seeing, the "evidence" included something about the pyramids lining up with Orion's belt in some certain ancient year if you look from the correct angle and with the proper amount of squint. Or something like that. Also, they presented evidence that the Sphinx was weathered by water, since of course sand can't cause erosion. I don't remember seeing Hawass anywhere on that particular show.
 
Joshua Korosi said:
Dr. Hawass doesn't seem to me to be the sort who would engage in on-camera bickering with an alternative-history theorist, so I don't know but I'm a bit skeptical that it was exactly like that.

If they're talking about the "geological" evidence which suggests, for instance, that the Sphinx is thousands of years older than previously believed, that evidence has been fairly well dealt with.
Click to expand...

I recall seeing a guy on TV a few years ago regarding this, and he had written a book. Do you know or recall the name of it?

Also, he came across as fairly non-loony. Is he a nut, or just someone who disagrees with the current consensus?
 
Jon the Geek said:
Also, they presented evidence that the Sphinx was weathered by water
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Not surprising. Egypt does get rain. Not very often, but when you're dealing with thousands of years, it can add up. More than a few tombs have been opened up and water damage found. In the rockier, drier places rain will cause floods and shift rubble and debris, hiding some tombs and revealing others.

What's grosser than a three thousand year old mummy? A three thousand year old mummy that was periodically soaked.
 
Is the geologist you're thinking aboutRobert M Schoch who was one of the people who claimed that the erosion wasn't consistent with the accepted age of the Pyramids?
 
Thanks for all the replies!

It seems that it was probably Graham Hancock. My friend is going to see if he can locate the documentary to confirm.

Then the debunking begins. :)

(Man, talk about a bad week - I've just managed to convince another of my colleagues to pop along to BadAstronomy and re-educate himself on the moon landings).
 
SixSixSix said:
That might be a good starting point for me to investigate. Any pointers?
Click to expand...

The Hall of Ma'at hosts a paper by geologist Colin Reader, who examines the erosion evidence at the Sphinx complex and concludes that the Sphinx predates the 4th Dynasty, but does not in any wise predate the timeline of Ancient Egypt as such is currently held. At the end of this article you'll find a fairly comprehensive bibliography on the whole business.

To my knowledge, Scoch, who initially publicized the erosion information, did not attempt to reach a conclusive date of construction with it. He simply noted that many of the stones around the Sphinx complex look much more eroded than the rest of the 4th Dynasty works at the site. He also noted that the erosion was consistent with rainwater runoff. It remained for folks like Hancock to take the idea and run with it, claiming it supported their theories of a 10,000-year-old super civilization. Of course, the data does no such thing.
 
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