The Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the last remaining wonders of the ancient world, continues to fascinate millions of visitors each year.
Yet, despite the extensive study it has undergone, the pyramid still holds secrets that are only now being fully understood.
The Great Pyramid - located in northern Egypt - was constructed over a 20-year period around 2600 BC, and required the labor of 100,000 men, according to Britannica.
The workers ranged from quarry workers and masons directly involved with the pyramid's construction, to tool-makers, ramp builders, and mortar mixers supporting the logistics of the operation.
This famous monument, standing at 138 meters tall, was traditionally viewed as four-sided. However, historical studies revealed that the conventional image of the pyramid's structure is not entirely accurate.
This fact first came to light back in 1940, when an illustration in La Description de l'Egypte caught the attention of British Egyptologist Flinders Petrie.
He noticed a slight indentation running down the middle of each side of the pyramid. This feature, which is best seen from an aerial view or under the correct lighting conditions, indicated that the Great Pyramid might not be four-sided after all.
Further studies and observations were made by Egyptologist I. E. S. Edwards in his 1975 book The Pyramids of Egypt, in which he wrote: "In the Great Pyramid the packing-blocks were laid in such a way that they sloped slightly inwards towards the center of each course, with a result that a noticeable depression runs down the middle of each face; a peculiarity shared, as far as is known, by no other pyramid."
This suggests that the Great Pyramid actually has eight sides to it, which means that is an octagonal pyramid.
.jpg_CaUUke?tr=w-1024,cr-0.0.1024.686&config=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)
In a more recent study published in 2023 in the Archaeological Discovery journal, researcher Akio Kato reiterated these findings.
"The Great Pyramid at Giza is known to have an amazing character of concavity that each of its four faces is slightly indented along its central line, from base to peak," he penned.
"In other words, the Great Pyramid is a concave octagonal pyramid, rather than the standard square pyramid," he continued. "This concavity is so subtle to be seen from any ground position, but can be observed from the air."
The reason behind this architectural decision remains a mystery.
