Controversial remark by Elon Musk that aliens built the Pyramids in Egypt has been roundly refuted by Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, who described the claim as “complete hallucination” in a video posted on his Facebook page.
The Billionaire tech mogul endorsed the unproven theory via Twitter on Friday.
“Aliens built the pyramids obv [sic],” the SpaceX and Tesla chief executive said. In a later tweet, he added: “The Great Pyramid was the tallest structure made by humans for 3,800 years. Three thousand, eight hundred years.”
Alien theorists point to the extraordinary level of technical expertise demonstrated in the construction of the 4,000-year-old pyramids, which are counted among the seven wonders of the world.
Built as tombs for the pharaohs who ruled over Egypt, they continue to raise questions among scientists, who are not entirely sure how the towering structures were created. But they do cite significant evidence that human hands were behind the pyramids, even if some of the techniques remain a mystery.
Mr Hawass pointed to the recently uncovered Wadi Al Jarf papyrus, which includes the Diary of Merer, an official involved in building the Great Pyramid of Khufu.
“This is a response from Zahi Hawass to American billionaire Elon Musk, what you said about the pyramids is completely hallucination, the pyramids are built by Egyptians and I will tell you quickly the evidence.
Number one, all the tombs around the great pyramid mention Khufu pyramid, the king himself and also inside the great pyramid there are inscriptions telling us about the workmen and the gangs who built the pyramids,” the acclaimed egyptologist said.
He went on to lay out more historic and scientific evidence supporting the construction of the pyramids by Egyptians and suggested Mr Musk read up on the subject.
His advice was echoed by Egypt’s Minister of International Co-operation, Rania Al Mashat, who said in a comment to Mr Musk on Twitter: "I follow your work with a lot of admiration. I invite you and Space X to explore the writings about how the pyramids were built and also to check out the tombs of the pyramid builders. Mr Musk, we are waiting for you.''
How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
