▁Egypt olog ists ▁Jean ▁Cap art ▁and ▁Marc elle ▁Wer br ou ck ▁stated ▁that ▁" with ▁the ▁help ▁of ▁mathemat icians ▁and ▁often ▁m ing ling ▁with ▁them ▁myst ics ▁have ▁invent ed ▁what ▁might ▁be ▁called ▁the ▁' rel ig ion ▁of ▁the ▁py ram ids ' ". ▁Six ▁years ▁later , ▁Adolf ▁Er man ▁compla ined ▁of ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁certain ▁theories ▁were ▁still ▁proposed , ▁even ▁though ▁a ▁century ▁of ▁research ▁would ▁have ▁long ▁since ▁deb unk ed ▁all ▁of ▁them . ▁ ▁On ▁ 2 4 ▁January ▁ 1 9 3 7 , ▁Gust ave ▁J é quier ▁chose ▁to ▁expose ▁his ▁criticism ▁of ▁the ▁py ram id ology ▁assumptions ▁on ▁a ▁mass ▁media , ▁the ▁newspaper ▁Gazette ▁de ▁La us anne , ▁l ament ing ▁that ▁" th ese ▁spec ulations ▁didn ' t ▁des erve ▁the ▁reson ance ▁they ▁have ▁had " ▁and ▁warning ▁the ▁audience ▁against ▁" prop he cies ▁in cur red ▁by ▁arguments ▁mask ed ▁as ▁science , ▁when ▁the ▁very ▁found ations ▁of ▁these ▁reason ings , ▁clever ly ▁dis gu ised , ▁are ▁nothing ▁but ▁in ac cur ate ▁news ▁or ▁simple ▁hypoth eses ▁and ▁that ▁the ▁whole ▁argument ▁is ▁clearly ▁t endent ious ". ▁ ▁The ▁term ▁" py ram idi ot " ▁is ▁said ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁co ined ▁by ▁Leonard ▁C ott rell , ▁whose ▁ 1 9 5 6 ▁book ▁The ▁Mountains ▁of ▁Ph ara oh ▁included ▁a ▁chapter ▁entitled ▁" The ▁Great ▁Py ram idi ot