Giza pyramids

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:''This article deals with wingnuttery surrounding the pyramids of Giza. See [[Sphinx of Giza]] for wingnuttery surrounding the sphinx.''
 
:''This article deals with wingnuttery surrounding the pyramids of Giza. See [[Sphinx of Giza]] for wingnuttery surrounding the sphinx.''
  
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== See also==
 
== See also==
* [[Abydos helicopter|Abydos Helicopter]]
 
 
* [[Sphinx of Giza]]
 
* [[Sphinx of Giza]]
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* [[Abydos helicopter|Abydos Helicopter]]
  
== Footnotes ==
+
== References ==
 
{{reflist}}
 
{{reflist}}
  
 
[[Category:Archaeology]]
 
[[Category:Archaeology]]

Revision as of 12:22, 14 June 2011

Template:BCE

This article deals with wingnuttery surrounding the pyramids of Giza. See Sphinx of Giza for wingnuttery surrounding the sphinx.

The Giza Pyramids have been the cause of more extreme wingnuttery, pseudo-science, bullshit and woo than any other ancient monument on the planet. They are popular focal points for theories concerning ufology, the Illuminati, Atlantis, and certain sects of Christianity. People who espouse such ideas in relation to the Giza pyramids are referred to as pyramidiots, a portmanteau of "pyramid" (a mostly five sided strcture, with a square base and four triangular vertical faces) and "idiot" (someone who believes the large pyramid shaped strucures in Egypt were built by aliens/guys with lasers).

Map of the Giza Plateau. Note lack of power stations

Contents

Historical and Geographic Introduction

The Giza Plateau is desert plateau located West of modern day Cairo. The plateau is in fact simply the northern most of a long string of necropoli that run along the desert west of the Nile from Giza as far south as the Faiyum. This string of necropoli contains well over 100 pyramids, built between the Third Dynasty and the end of the Middle Kingdom[1]. As such it is important to discard the implied, but rarely stated assumption with these "alternate" theories that the "big three" pyramids at Giza are the only ones in Egypt.

The main three pyramids on the Giza Plateau were built between c. 2470-2396 BCE over the course of 5 reigns during the 4th Dynasty of the Ancient Egyptian Old Kingdom.[2][3]. The first is also the largest, built by Khufu (now with a metal frame on top to indicate its original apex), followed by Khafra (the most well known, due to its association with the Sphinx and also being the most photogenic, retaining its smooth casing stones toward the top) and finally, the smallest, was built by Menkaura, a little distance from the others, and originally intended to utilize granite instead of limestone in its casing layer [4].

Each pyramid formed a self contained complex, featuring a pyramid temple, built immediately adjacent to the main structure, and a valley temple, located further away, toward the river. This was linked to the pyramid by a long, elevated stone built causeway that was originally roofed. In addition there were subsidiary pyramids as part of these complexes for the burial of close members of the Royal family.[5]

Later pyramids included religious texts, inscribed within the burial chamber (the Pyramid Texts, now translated, and widely available), but this practice was only introduced in the 5th Dynasty, so is not present in any pyramid at Giza.[6]

Orion Theory

The Orion Theory was first dreamed up postulated by Robert Bauval, a professional construction engineer with an interest in esoterica.[7] In his book "The Orion Theory" (Arrow Books, 1994) where he presents his Orion Correlation Theory (OCT), which, in short, centres around the idea that the Giza Pyramids were built as part of one "master plan" to map out certain key constellations on the ground (the "big three" at Giza being Orions Belt... if turned upside down),[8] and that the small shafts in Khufu's pyramid were aligned to view Orion and Sothis (Sirius) .[9] Whilst this might be stretching credibility, it only truly snaps once Bauval comes up with an "epic fix" by claiming that, as some of his alignments don't work when applied to the heavens at the time of construction, the layout of the pyramids was planned not around 2470 BCE, but in 10500 BCE, more than 8000 years earlier, or to put it another way, almost three times the length of the entire duration of the Pharaonic period, and four times the length of time between Julius Caesar and the present day.

However, the "epic fix" doesn't work .[10] In addition to this, to the keep the all important "master plan" workable, several pyramids had to be "removed" from Bauval's calculations,[11] as well as putting faith in the idea that the Pharaohs followed a multi-generational master plan for the necropolis (drawn up 8000 years earlier), despite that fact that very often no more than a passing effort was made to finish the burial of ones predecessor relatively quickly and easily, as evidenced by the Seneferu, Menkaure and many others.[12][13][14].

It is also claimed that in this grand alignment, the Milky Way is represented by the Nile,[15] though no effort is made to explain where the Nile flowed in 10500 BCE, despite it migrating drastically both east and west in the Giza area.[16]

Stepehn Quirke, professor of Egyptology at University College London and curator of UCL Collections Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology[17] presents a rather more practical picture for the location of the Giza pyramids; that they lay on a good line of sight with the great temple of Ra at Heliopolis, and it's Benben stone (the original obelisk).[18] The 4th Dynasty was the beginning of the focused, consistent devotion to the solar cult that dominated the Old Kingdom from that point onward. Although not absolutely conclusive, his theory is sound, reasoned, and consistent. Quirke is also a recognized professional in his field.

Based on this, one can only conclude that OCT is nothing but pseudo-science, based on ideas which are sound (such as the religious importance of certain stars to Egyptian religion) taken to their logical, but ultimately absurd, conclusions.

Power Station Theory

A classic example of extreme wingnuttery, quite literally in this case, is where Christopher Dunn, a mechanical engineer with an interest in history[19] tells us that the Egyptian used machine tools to build the Giza pyramids.

He argues how the Great Pyramid (the others don't matter) was, in fact, a massive power plant that utilised the magnetic poles and "vibrations" chanelled through "harmonic resonators" and the dimensions of the structure to generate huge amounts of power,[20][21] before being destroyed in a massive fire caused by its use of hydrogen.

Central to his argument is the supposition that the ancient Egyptians had a generally ultra-high level of technology, as evidenced by the accuracy and quality of their stonework. In support of this he points to examples of work with hard stone around the Giza pyramids and the Seprapeum at Saqqara. He fails, however, to mention several key points:

  • The Serapeum was constructed in the 19th Dynasty, and utilized though much of the Late Period, a time with ample textual and archaeological sources, rather than belonging to "prehistory" as Dunn describes the artifacts.
  • There is absolutely no archaeological or textual evidence whatsoever to support the existence of these hypothetical super-technologies.
  • That the effects on stone he describes have been accurately reproduced through the use of experimental archaeology, and widely published,[22] including in the mass media.[23]
  • That the power station theory he postulates uses the internal layout of Khufu's pyramid, which is significantly different to the others at Giza, let alone elsewhere in Egypt. What the others were for then, is anyone's guess.

Whilst the achievements in accuracy and quality of engineering and workmanship in both the Pyramids of Giza and elsewhere in Egyptian sculpture and architecture are humbling, it was well within their capabilities as a Bronze Age civilization thanks to an efficient bureaucratic and social organisation that was able to control the quality and speed of work, availability of labour, tools and supplies, and provide literate expertise to oversee and guide the work being done.

The theory that the Great Pyramid was some kind of machine was also postulated by author Alan Alford, in his book "Gods of the New Millennium," although he later retracted this in the foreword to his follow-up book, "The Phoenix Solution."

Other Weird Shit

Other theories include aliens building the pyramids, often based on the idea that there is no way the Egyptian civilization was capable of designing and building such structures, and on supposed "sacred" measurements.[24] However, Egypt had a number of different measurements, not all of which are fully known to us, thus making these "sacred" numbers meaningless. It is entirely possible to make the numbers you want, since there are so many possible units to choose from.

Khufu's pyramid. Built by highly effective people, not aliens.

The Archeology

Long before the first modern archaeological expeditions got underway, it was known that the pyramids were Old Kingdom Royal tombs; for example, Herodotus clearly recorded them as such.[25]

The beginning of modern study of the pyramids began with the invasion of Egypt by Napoleon. Along with his army he brought many of the best French scholars of the day to Egypt to catalogue the country, both ancient and modern, in the "Description De l'Egypte", which documented the plateau itself as well as the interior of the Great Pyramid, but did not attempt to explain what the structures were used for, concerning itself simply with mapping and drawing their architectural features.[26].

This study was complimented by the work of Karl Richard Lepsius under a Prussian expedition backed by King Frederich Wilhelm IV. Lepsius mapped some 67 pyramids from Giza to Dashur, and carved a hieroglyphic inscription to his King on the pyramid of Khufu, above the original entrance.[27]

None of these experts found any reason to contradict the classical authors assertions that the pyramids functioned as Old Kingdom Royal tombs, though some of their more fantastical accounts of their construction have now been debunked due to more recent discoveries.

All three main pyramids contained large granite sarcophagi up until the 19th century, when Colonel Vyse removed Menkaura's sarcophagus in order to ship it to London.[28] With it he found shards of a coffin from the Late Period, mostly likely the 26th Dynasty, and human remains from the Coptic period.[29] Sadly, the ship was lost en-route. The sarcophagi of Khafra and Khufu remain in situ.

In recent decades efforts have been made to excavate the town which is located nearby that housed the workers during the construction of the Giza pyramids. Excavation is currently ongoing, but work by Dr. Mark Lehner and others have revealed a sizable, organised settlement for accommodating the workers.[30] This has disproved the bullshit "theories" of space lasers and/or vast slave armies being used in pyramid construction.

In summary, there is strong evidence and widespread acceptance amongst Egyptologists for the Giza pyramids being built during the 4th Dynasty for use as Royal tombs.

See also

References

  1. Lehner, M (1997) - The Complete Pyramids, Thames & Hudson, London
  2. Dodson, A & Hilton D (2004), The Royal Families of Ancient Egypt, Thames and Hudson, London
  3. Shaw, I (2000), The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, OUP, Oxford
  4. Ibid.
  5. Lehner, M (1997) - The Complete Pyramids, Thames & Hudson, London
  6. Ibid.
  7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Bauval
  8. http://www.legon.demon.co.uk/orion.htm
  9. http://doernenburg.alien.de/alternativ/orion/ori00_e.php
  10. http://www.antiquityofman.com/Orion_Fairall.html
  11. http://doernenburg.alien.de/alternativ/orion/ori01_e.php
  12. Wilkinson, R W (2000), The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt, Thames and Hudson, London
  13. Clayton, P (1994), Chronicle of the Pharaohs, Thames and Hudson, London
  14. Shaw, I (2000), Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, OUP, Oxford
  15. http://doernenburg.alien.de/alternativ/orion/ori00_e.php
  16. Lutley K & Bunbury, J (2008), The Nile on the Move, Egyptian Archaeology #38
  17. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/staff/profiles/quirke.htm
  18. Quirke, S (2001), The Cult of Ra, Thames and Hudson, London
  19. http://deletionpedia.dbatley.com/w/index.php?title=Christopher_Dunn_(engineer)_(deleted_11_Feb_2008_at_03:03)
  20. http://www.gizapower.com/Articles/return.html
  21. http://www.margaretmorrisbooks.com/mddebate.html
  22. Nicholson, P and Shaw I (2000), Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technology, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
  23. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lostempires/obelisk/cutting.html
  24. http://www.netscientia.com/egypt.html
  25. Herodotus, An Account of Egypt, Trans.: Macaulay, G C, Project Gutenburg (EBook #2131, 2006)
  26. Miller, C (2005), Description De l'Egypte, Taschen, Cologne (facsimile reprint)
  27. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lepsius
  28. Shaw, I and Nicholson, P (2008) British Museum Dictionary of Ancient Egypt, British Museum Press, London
  29. Ibid.
  30. http://www.aeraweb.org/lost_city_home.asp
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