Newton & the Egyptian Antiquities: What is the secret of his obsession with the Giza Pyramids?

CAIRO – 5 January 2020:  Isaac Newton is considered one of the greats in human history and one of the most prominent scientists contributing to physics and mathematics through the ages.

He was known as a mathematician who laid the foundations of classical physics, in addition to formulating the laws of motion and the Law of Gravity.

He remained an example of the era of reason and inquiry and one of the symbols of the scientific revolution that took place in Europe. He developed the Law of Universal Gravitation.

Aside from the Law of Gravity, today is Newton's 378th birthday anniversary. He had Newton's secret preoccupations with alchemy and occult branches of theology.

He delved into Egyptian history, attempting to decipher the secrets of the Egyptian pyramids.

The Great Pyramids Of giza - ET

He discovered three pages of scribbles on the Egyptian pyramids, which Newton believed are the key to its deep secrets, so what is Newton's obsession with the Egyptian pyramids?

Newton studied the pyramids in the 1780s, during the period in which he distanced himself from the University of Cambridge to his voluntary exile in Lincolnshire, UK, after criticism from his rival Robert Hooke of the Royal Society.

The newspaper quoted the manuscript official in Sotheby's Gabriel Heaton saying that Newton was seeking to uncover the unit of measurement used by the pyramids builders because he believed that the ancient Egyptians were able to measure the dimensions of the Earth with it.

Part of the manuscript - ET

He adds that there was a belief that the ancient Egyptians knew about the secrets of alchemy that were later lost, knowing that the secrets that seem different today did not appear as such to Newton in the 17th century.

It seems that Newton was keen to conceal these concerns, which his scientific activities formed a cover for, perhaps in order to preserve his position at the University of Cambridge, especially in an atmosphere hostile to him due to what was rumored about him being discreet, nervous, spiteful, revenge-loving, ruthless, arrogant, obsessive, and paranoid.

The only thing that no one disputes is his ingenuity, which may have led him to believe that his mission is to save the world.

During that period, he tried to uncover the unit of measure used by the ancient Egyptians in building the pyramids.

He believed that they used what is known as the "royal arm" as a unit of length, which enabled them to measure the circumference of the Earth.

Newton believed that if he could estimate the length of that royal arm, he might be able to refine his own theories of gravity, and then measure the circumference of the Earth more accurately.

Also, knowing these measurements may lead him to know the mysterious engineering secrets of places such as the Temple of Solomon, and then predict the date of the end of the world.

Of course, "These are different aspects. However, they were not the same for Newton in the 17th century," says manuscript specialist Heaton.