Press kit - Why the pharaohs built the Pyramids with fake stones

Yes and no. These synthetic stones are in fact re-agglomerated materials. The process is explained in more detail later in the book. Basically, the principle is as follows: starting with a mineral substance such as eroded, disintegrated or naturally disaggregated rock – such as the limestone found everywhere in northern France – we give it a compact structure using a binder, a geological glue that will agglomerate (or re-agglomerate) the mineral particles. The result is a rock that looks perfectly natural: in our case, for example, an extremely solid limestone similar to certain types occurring naturally. A geologist would notice nothing unusual. Only a very close observation of the binder can reveal the synthetic nature of the rock, because the particles themselves are without question limestone – or granite or whatever you like.