Pyramids of Giza & Sphinx
Ongoing technological developments make it possible to unravel more and more secrets of these old constructions.
Breaking News - November 2, 2017:
"Cosmic-ray particles reveal secret chamber in Egypt's Great Pyramid."
The three main pyramids of Giza are built by father (Cheops), son (Chefren - the one on the left) and grandson (Mycerinus). The biggest pyramid is the one built by Cheops, being the world's biggest pyramid at the same time. Every side is 756 ft wide (with a deviation of 1.6 inches) and 455 ft high. The rock boulders weigh on average 5,000 kilograms and a meagre 2.500.000 have been used. Chefren's pyramid is built on an elevantion and therefore only seems bigger.
On first sight it looks like the pyramid is a parallel square but this is not the case. The sides bend inward 36 inches in total. Two reasons are provided for this design: a. it prevents the optical illusion that the pyramid has convex sides which would be the case with sides this tall (due to the curvature of the earth) if the base would be as straight as a line, and b. it improves the weight distribution of the walls.
The pyramids of Giza only had one entry on the north side with three burial chambers inside. As this design was common knowledge, every one of these pyramids has been robbed of it's treasures in early days.
All pyramids have next to it a number of smaller pyramids for their queens. Pharaohs were polygamous with their Queen being responsible for providing the heir to the thrown and additional wives and concubines.
The pyramids were built during the three months of yearly flooding of the River Nile using the farmers who were out of a job during those months. The pharaoh paid his workers for their labor, thus securing their income during a time of poverty. None of the building was done by slaves. This conclusion can be drawn on the fact that laborers by their work earned a grave next to the tomb of their king; a king would never allow slaves to be buried next to him!
Originally the pyramids were smooth on the outside and white. This is only partly still the case at top of the Pyramid of Chefren. The white limestone has been stolen way back in time and used for the construction of other buildings in Cairo such as the Citadel.
At three of the four sides of the Pyramid of Cheops Solar Ships have been recovered. Covered by 14 rock boulders each weighing 15.000 kgs, the solar ships where discovered accidentally. Only one of the three ships has been fully excavated. The ship was buried as a building kit consisting of 1.200 pieces, from a size of a couple of inches to over 20 meters. It took 14 years to totally reconstruct the solar ship.
Building the Sphinx is contributed to Pharaoh Chefren. The why and how of the sphinx has remained a mystery sofar. It is the first and biggest sphinx built; six smaller ones are found across Egypt (at Memphis for one). The sphinx is supposedly the embodiment of strength (body of a lion) and wisdom (head of the pharaoh). But whatever the meaning, the Sphinx has always triggered people's imagination as shown by its Arabic name Abū al-Haul, meaning 'the father of dread'.
