Noah's Ark Conspiracy Report

This report was written for the course Knowledge and Skepticism at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. In order to write this report, the data from multiple sources has been used. This report was written to research whether the conspiracy theories about the pyramids are scientific claims or if they are an example of pseudoscience.

The pyramids were constructed around 4500 years ago in Egypt by native Egyptian skilled workers who built them in order by the king. The Egyptians believed that if their king would be mummified and buried in a pyramid with food, furniture and gold vessels that they would become a god in the afterlife. In total, 118 pyramids were built in Egypt, during a time period where tools like the wheel and enginery

The theory was found by Matthew Sibson, and he claims that the pyramid and Noah’s Ark are the same. He came to this theory because he digitized many fragments with a new camera that can capture up to 28 times higher than a normal camera. The result was that he was able to read some text that was not readable before. In one of these fragments about the tallness of Noah’s Ark, he was able to find the Hebrew word ‘ne'esefat’. This word translated to English means ‘gathered’. He also believes that the Bible flood might have been a metaphor. He believes that the bible flood might be a major flood covering the Middle East and that the pyramids were built to protect the Egyptians from the flood (Grunch.com, 2021). However, is this theory based on scientific claims or is this an example of pseudoscience? There is no scientific evidence that supports the theory that Noah’s Ark and the pyramid are the same. Some people who believe in this theory see patterns between these two things. This is called patternicity. Finding meaningful patterns where they don’t really exist. The believers believe that the size and scale are the same. Also, its purpose and mysteriousness are the same. However, there is archaeological and historical evidence that debunks these patterns and claims. For example, the Bible says that Noah’s Ark was made from wood, and the pyramids are made from limestone. Also, the purpose is different. According to the Bible,

The theory began in the 19th century by the American congressman Ignatius L. Donnelly. He also viewed himself as a scientist. He wrote a book in 1882 about Atlantis, which told the story that the end of Atlantis was caused by the bible flood. He supported the story by Plato, who stated that the world first became civilized by Atlantis. At one point, the civilization of Atlantis was wiped out by an earthquake that turned the sea into a muddy bank. The survivors of this earthquake travelled across the globe and resettled. From these remnants of Atlantis arose the pyramids. They have a similarity in architecture and alphabet (Thecollector.com, 2023). However, is this theory based on scientific claims or is this an example of pseudoscience? The conspiracy theory about Atlantis is more based on pseudoscience rather than scientifically supported claims. There is a time gap between Atlantis and the pyramids, which makes it difficult to think that Atlantis was the source of the pyramids. The first was built around 2700 B.C., which is 6000 years after the sinking of Atlantis. Apart from that, archaeologists have found written text that explains why the pyramids were built and who they belonged to. In those written texts there is no mention of Atlantis or any other homeland that they might originate from. Additionally, there is lots of archaeological and historical evidence that show that the Egyptians built the pyramids as mentioned