Contrary to the well-known hypothesis of construction of the Great Pyramids at Giza by carving and hoisting quarried limestone blocks, in 1974 a French research chemist, Joseph Davidovits, proposed a radically different hypothesis that the pyramid blocks are not quarried stone but cast-in-place “concrete” prepared with the soft, marly kaolinitic limestone of Giza that was readily disintegrated in water and mixed with locally available lime and natron.

Depuis quelques semaines, plusieurs forums internet discutent de mon intervention dans un documentaire réalisé en 1991 par la chaine américaine PBS, pour la fameuse émission de vulgarisation scientifique “NOVA” intitulé: This Old Pyramid. L’objectif de NOVA était l’illustration des différentes techniques proposées par les experts dans la construction des pyramides d’Égypte. NOVA avait pour cela décidé de construire, à Guizeh, une mini-pyramide, selon les “techniques anciennes”.

ABSTRACT. Between 1984 and 1995 over 450 organic samples were collected from monuments built during the Old and Middle Kingdoms. The most suitable samples were selected for dating. The purpose was to establish a radiocarbon chronology with samples from secure context and collected with the careful techniques required for 14C samples. This chronology is compared to the historical chronology established by reconstructing written documentation.