Crossroads Roundup: How the Pyramids Were Built, the World's Oldest Calendar, and a Medieval Village Found in Munich

Our favorite stories on art, archaeology, folklore, and more from this past week.

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The Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara, Egypt. Beside it: a very cute camel. Via Wikimedia Commons.

How were the pyramids built? Researchers may be one step closer to solving archaeology’s enduring mystery (though not without controversy).

Back in May, I shared the news that researchers had discovered a now-extinct branch of the Nile River, along which the pyramids of the Old and Middle Kingdoms were constructed. This discovery was a major step forward in solving the centuries-long puzzle of how the pyramids were built.

This week, I came across a related study from PLOS One, in which its authors theorize that hydraulic force may have been used to build the Step Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara. The Step Pyramid is the oldest major stone building in Egypt, designed by the architect and physician Imhotep and constructed from 2670-2650 B.C. (during the Third Dynasty).