Bad news for Ben Carson: Pyramids wouldn’t have made good grain stores, say experts

US presidential hopeful believes that Egypt's pyramids were built to store grain

Presidential candidate Ben Carson believes that Joseph built the pyramids in order to store grain (Getty)

Experts have refuted Ben Carson's claims that Egypt's pyramids were built to store grain and have emphaticaly stated that this is not an academic topic of debate.

Jodi Magness, a specialist in biblical archaeology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, said she knows of no scholar or archaeologist who questions that the pyramids were used as royal tombs.

"The use of the pyramids as tombs is verified by both written (literary) sources and archaeological evidence." Magness said in an email.

(Getty Imags)

In a video posted online by Buzzfeed News, Mr Carson was seen saying: "My own personal theory is that Joseph built the pyramids in order to store grain."

He was referring to the Old Testament story of Joseph predicting famine and advising the pharaoh to store surplus food.

John Darnell, a professor of Egyptology at Yale University told the BBC that: "The major internal element of the pyramids is stone and brick - there wouldn't be much space for grain, and it would be huge waste of power and engineering.”

"Plus we know ancient granaries tended to beehive-shaped and quite small. It wouldn't make sense to build gigantic monumental granaries - it would take ages to grain in, and smother everyone when it poured out."

Carson has a reputation for grabbing headlines, after comments claiming that evolution is a lie created by Satan, Obamacare is slavery and transgender people ‘make everybody else uncomfortable’ in public restrooms.