Braingle: 'Not a Mountain' Riddle

Not a Mountain

Riddles are little poems or phrases that pose a question that needs answering. Riddles frequently rhyme, but this is not a requirement.

Puzzle ID:	#36688
Fun:	(3.04)
Difficulty:	(1.93)
Category:	Riddle
Submitted By:	bookworm91

I tower over the man-made plain;
My peaks scrape the heavens.
I have many brothers; in fact,
We may be as many as a hundred and seven.

We're as ancient as the oldest trees,
But not older than the hills.
We've been studied for centuries now,
But with mystery we're still filled.

Show Hint

Answer

The pyramids of Egypt.

It's estimated that there are 80-110 pyramids in Egypt, the oldest of which are around 4,500 years old. (The oldest living tree is about 4,750 years old.) Scholars have been studying the pyramids for nearly 200 years, but there are still many questions about them. We don't even know how they were built!

The Great Pyramid at Giza is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Some believe that it originally had a golden top that was stolen by tomb raiders.
Hide

What Next?

See another brain teaser just like this one...

Or, just get a random brain teaser

If you become a registered user you can vote on this riddle, keep track of
which ones you have seen, and even make your own.

Comments

tamjp May 20, 2007	loose rhyme in the hint but overall great teaser
tamjp May 20, 2007	riddle that is
Smeraldina May 20, 2007	Beautifully written. I also enjoyed the hint (but then, I'm a Dickinson fan, so I loose rhyming is fine by me).
Smeraldina May 20, 2007	D'oh! I wish we could edit comments, since I never seem to reread my writing for grammar before posting!
tngurl May 20, 2007	Great job!! Thanks!!
hunny_bunny May 20, 2007	ya that was a good one!
lrpage May 24, 2007	U rock so much! Good 1!
Lady_Lani May 24, 2007	yay i got it!
bookworm91 Jun 01, 2007	Thanks for your feedback!
doehead Dec 24, 2008	Interesting and easy.
bradon182001 Dec 24, 2008	Easy but nicely written. Thanks for posting.
Jimmymo Dec 24, 2008	Thought it was a mountain range 'til I read the title. D'oh!! Needed the hint to gtet it! Good riddle.
tahoegiles Dec 24, 2008	I got stuck on the "man-made plain". What does that mean? Did men make the desert too?
BobbyL Dec 24, 2008	I agree with the commentator who was puzzled by the "man-made plain" bit. I guessed that it was the pyramids, but I think that calling the plains man-made is not fairplay.
kk_lovebug Dec 24, 2008	I thought it was a landfill because it said the man made plains!
here2 Dec 24, 2008	I enjoyed the extra detail in the answer. I learned something. Thanks
auntiesis Dec 24, 2008	man-made plain threw me off. Well done except for that. Really clever.
avonma Dec 24, 2008	I thought of the pyramids, but discarded that answer with the "man-main plains." I didn't get that, either.
kauphi1976 Dec 24, 2008	well written... i actually got it by the time i finished reading ! i m a genie a$$
jaycr Dec 24, 2011	I needed the hint, but I got the answer. On Donner, on Dasher, on Vixen, on Prancer.
lukasiwicz Dec 24, 2011	I got it, but I must quibble. 1) At latest count there are 138 Egyptian pyramids, not 107. 2) With the tallest pyramid having reached a height of only 482 feet or so, the peaks of these constructions could hardly be said to have "scraped the heavens," in my estimation, though in all fairness I must point out that usually buildings taller than 100 meters (about 328 ft., or roughly 33 stories) do get called "skyscrapers."
cutebug Dec 24, 2011	Took awhile, but I got it. Merry Christmas Eve to all.
gaylewolf Dec 24, 2011	Interesting teaser! Thanks! Merry Christmas, strangers and friends! May your holiday be filled with love, happiness, peace, joy and fun!
HABS2933 Dec 24, 2011	Though i got the answer straight away, I too must quibble (though as the author has not been on in over 2 years it is pointless). The line "as ancient as the oldest trees" - while it is pointed out in the answer the pyramids are older than the oldest "living tree" there is no stipulation in the teaser itself we are discussing LIVING trees. Trees have been around since the world began.
Mandy7 Dec 24, 2011	That was quite easy, seeing as I just finished studying ancient Egypt at school before Winter Intersession. Still, I played around with the details of the riddle. Awesome teaser, though!
phyllisa Dec 24, 2011	LOL I was thinking totem poles then I saw the hint and got it Happy Holidays to everyone