American Scientist

The last Egyptian hieroglyph is said to have been inscribed late in the 4th century A.D., but serious study of Egyptian culture by Westerners did not begin until the 17th century. It was then that the first relatively precise measurements of the Great Pyramid were made. Near the close of the 18th century, the young French republic sent to Egypt—under the command of Napoleon—a large expedition that included a "scientific and artistic commission." The expedition not only resulted in volumes of scholarship but also led to the accidental uncovering of the Rosetta Stone, which promised to be a key to deciphering hieroglyphs. Thus the foundations of Egyptology were laid, and for the past two centuries scholars and amateurs alike have built it into an edifice. Among the many intriguing open questions about the ancient culture has long been, how were the pyramids built? There have been many answers, most of which raise more questions.