Caitlin Green

Ronnie Lee is a psychology researcher at the University of British Columbia.

In just a few moments time, we'll discuss the wonder of aliens building the pyramids.

Or did they really do that?

Spoiler, they didn't.

But an expert archaeologist is going to explain why that theory refuses to die and why the real story of ancient humans achieving the amazing might be more astonishing than aliens doing it.

Still, why every few months on TV do we see aliens built the pyramids and why won't that myth die in a moment?

Here's a mystery.

Humans build mind-blowing monuments like the pyramids, and for some people, their first instinct is to look at them and think, that must be aliens.

So here's what I want to discuss.

Why do ancient extraterrestrials get the credit for building ancient human monuments when the real fascinating stories teach us about history

and are just great to learn about and dive into.

I am here with Stefan Bowman, an Egyptology professor at KU Leuven and a researcher at the Art and History Museum in Brussels to discuss this.

Stefan, welcome to the show.

So the big question, I kind of already mentioned it, every few months someone on TV says the pyramids are too perfect.

It must have been built by aliens.

And for someone who actually studies these sites,

What kind of stories do we miss when we jump to these, you know, fantastical, almost unbelievable conclusions?

Now, when you actually look at the history of, let's say, the pyramids, you look at what bits of pottery, tools, layers of dirt, layers of water, sediment in the water.

How can you take these scattered clues and reconstruct something, such a big question, like how are the pyramids built?

So let's talk about this giant construction project, evidence of worker settlements, bakeries, food systems, all the little things you would need for many, many workers working very hard.