Carson stood by an earlier claim that pyramids in Egypt were not built as tombs for Pharoahs, but rather to store grain, a claim he says has basis in the Bible. Egypt's Antiquities Minister responded to the claims during a press conference on exploring hidden tombs within the pyramids, saying, "A lot of people are trying to prove that the pyramids weren't built for burials. Maybe they're comments used for publicity like that man who's not an archaeologist and says they stored grain, and I don't know what that was based on." Carson has elaborated on his personal theory that Joseph built the pyramids, claiming that "secular progressives try to ridicule it every time it comes up." What about Egyptian archaeologists, though?