New discovery throws light on mystery of pyramids' construction
Egyptologists stumble across ramp that helps explain how huge blocks of stones were hauled into place
The mystery of how, exactly, the pyramids were built may have come a step closer to being unravelled after a team of archaeologists made a chance discovery in an ancient Egyptian quarry.
Scientists researching ancient inscriptions happened upon a ramp with stairways and a series of what they believe to be postholes, which suggest that the job of hauling into place the huge blocks of stone used to build the monuments may have been completed more quickly than previously thought.
While the theory that the ancient Egyptians used ramps to move the stones has already been put forward, the structure found by the Anglo-French team, which dated from about the period that the Great Pyramid of Giza was built, is significantly steeper than was previously supposed possible.
They believe the inclusion of the steps and the postholes either side of a rampway suggests the builders were able to haul from both directions, rather than simply dragging a block behind them. The team believes those below the block would have used the posts to create a pulley system while those above it pulled simultaneously.
They believe the find to be significant because they say it suggests the work could have been done more quickly, albeit still involving the heavy labour of a large number of people.
UPDATE: Forgotten discovery in Great Pyramid of Giza could hold 'KEY' to finding hidden chambers
Also a video at the link
The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the last remaining ancient wonders of the world and for thousands of years, many have speculated what its initial purpose was and what it contains.
Matthew Sibson, an ancient history and civilisations expert, believes the key to unlocking the secrets behind the giant structure is to explore the pyramid’s original entrance and what empty chambers it hides.
In 2016, ScanPyramids discovered a void on the North Face which could have been an entrance into the pyramids.
According to Matthew, the find seems to have been forgotten about because of the discovery of a far larger void in 2017.
But, in his YouTube video, Matthew explained that he original find "is not only the key to unlocking the hidden chambers of the Great Pyramid but is also relatively easy to access".
"If explored, it would re-write the history of the last ancient wonder of the world."
Matthew explained that the smaller void is located directly behind the arch of two chevron beams.
“It sits approximately 56 feet above the ground and east of the central north-south axis,” he added.
Several metres beneath the archway would have been the "lower entrance" to the pyramid, today known as the descending passageway, while directly below it would have been the "upper entrance".
"The upper entrance led to a smaller chamber behind the chevrons – the same chamber recorded by the ScanPyramids project,” he said.
But the access into the second chamber has since been blocked with a stone named the Strabo Stone.
Architect Jean-Pierre Houdin also found there was a cavity behind the archway in the exact same place as the ScanPyramids team – some 25 years before.
Matthew went on to explain how Houdin noted there was "mortar protruding from the right after and a limestone block had been pointed with plaster in front of the stone".
“So, Houdin and the ScanPyramids team have evidence that the main entrance into the Great Pyramid is directly underneath the arch,” he continued.
Matthew finished by saying scientists would simply have to obtain permission to drill a small hole into the top 40cm of the triangular section of the entrance to see what is inside.
“Whatever the true purpose of the Great Pyramid was, I believe that all the answers can be found by drilling a small hole into the masonry under the Chevrons," he added.
“We just need to put in a small camera into the hole and it will be far less expensive.”
It comes after two ancient relics could reveal a hidden doorway under the Great Sphinx.
The eccentric boss of SpaceX and Tesla said in an interview published in the latest issue of Wired, published this Wednesday, to have succeeded in understanding the “secret” of the great pyramids of Egypt, without really saying more, probably to maintain the lead he hopes to have acquired with this operation.
An offer which cannot be refused
“This is an offer unlike anything we’ve ever seen in terms of heritage buyouts,” said Zahi Hawass, the Egyptian minister of antiquities. “It was simply impossible for us to refuse it given the difficulties we are still facing, both economically and socially and politically.
Okay, but what is the unspeakable number? How much is the amount that forced the Egyptian government to give up ownership of its main source of tourism revenue? Neither the buyer nor the seller would answer the question, but a source close to the transaction said it was “more than half of Musk’s personal fortune” currently estimated at some $153 billion.
I don't completely discount the theory that most of the limestone in the pyramid is actually concrete and the blocks were poured in place. Concrete was known long before the pyramids were built, and the ground surrounding them has all the materials needed to make it. So why wouldn't they build them that way using carved stone for just the finishing pieces?