Egypt’s Great Pyramid origins in doubt after evidence of earlier use

The debate about the origins of Egypt’s Great Pyramid has been reignited.

For decades, alternative theories have suggested the ancient structure may not have been built during the reign of Pharaoh Khufu around 2600 BC, a timeline widely accepted by mainstream archaeologists.

AJ Gentile, host of The Why Files, recently discussed the Giza monument on The Shawn Ryan Show, claiming that residues found within key chambers match substances known to produce powerful chemical reactions.

‘There is evidence of zinc chloride on one side and hydrochloric acid on another side and sulfuric acid,’ he said, noting they may indicate ancient reactions within the Great Pyramid.

Gentile argued that the combination of these materials could have triggered reactions inside the pyramid, fueling speculation that the structure served a purpose beyond that of a royal tomb.

Supporters of the theory believe such reactions suggest the monument may have functioned as something far more advanced than previously believed, raising questions about who may have originally built it.

Mainstream Egyptologists, however, maintain that the Great Pyramid was constructed by ancient workers using limestone blocks quarried nearby, as the burial site of Pharaoh Khufu 4,500 years ago. 

Gentile also questioned that long-held belief, saying: ‘It’s supposed to be the tomb for Khufu, but no mummy’s ever been found in a pyramid. They’ve never found any of that. Egyptologists will say, “Well, they were robbed, the mummies were there, but they were taken out.” All right. Well, there’s no evidence of any of that.’

The idea that the Great Pyramids are much older than the accepted age gained significant traction in the 1990s through alternative history theories such as the Orion Correlation Theory.

The theory proposes that the three pyramids at Giza were deliberately aligned to match the three stars of Orion’s Belt, which ancient Egyptians associated with the god Osiris.

Supporters argue the alignment reflects the sky as it appeared around 10,500 BC, leading some to suggest the pyramids or their original design may be far older than the commonly accepted construction date of about 2600 BC, though many Egyptologists dispute the claim and say archaeological evidence firmly dates the structures to Egypt’s Fourth Dynasty.

Gentile said his claims form part of a broader theory, suggesting the pyramid may have once functioned as a massive energy-generating system.

He explained that the layout of the internal chambers appears designed to allow substances to move downward through shafts using gravity, triggering chemical reactions.

‘They’re built in a way so they come down, you use gravity and just pour these chemicals down, [and it] creates this hydrogen reaction,’ he said.

Hydrogen, a highly reactive gas, can expand rapidly and create pressure waves, and Gentile claimed materials inside the pyramid may have enhanced these effects.

‘This chamber is built out of rose granite, which is densely made of quartz,’ he said. ‘When you compress quartz, it creates electricity.’

Supporters of the theory also believe sound vibrations inside the Grand Gallery may have amplified the reactions.

Gentile further pointed to the presence of significant groundwater beneath the Giza Plateau, suggesting an underground aquifer may have created natural resonance that helped amplify reactions within the structure.

He also claimed copper rods discovered beneath parts of the site may have helped channel energy upward from underground chambers, though he acknowledged the exact mechanism remains unclear.

According to the theory, hydrogen gas created within the chambers could have traveled upward through the Grand Gallery, where wooden structures once believed to exist inside the passage may have acted as sound resonators, similar to the tone created when blowing across the top of a bottle.

Gentile pointed to the materials used in the pyramid’s construction, claiming different types of limestone inside and outside the structure may have acted as conductors and insulators, amplifying electrical effects.

He suggested that a gold capstone, believed by some researchers to have once topped the pyramid, may have helped channel energy upward.

‘If you had a gold capstone on top, which is a great conductor, you can force that energy up through the capstone and up into the ionosphere,’ he said.

Despite outlining the theory, Gentile acknowledged a major gap in the argument.

‘Where I get stuck is we don’t see any evidence of what they did with the power,’ he said.

That led him to speculate that the structure may have predated ancient Egyptian civilization altogether.

‘My guess is the Egyptians didn’t build any of this,’ he said. ‘I think the Egyptians just found it and said, “Wow, this is crazy. The gods must have made this.”‘

Despite the dramatic nature of these claims, mainstream scholars maintain that extensive archaeological evidence supports the long-standing view that the Great Pyramid was built using massive limestone blocks quarried nearby.

Egyptologists also point to records showing how ancient workers transported materials along the Nile and assembled the structure using ramps and coordinated labor.

However, the mystery surrounding the monument continues to capture global attention.