The Pyramid of Cheops is an interesting story. Ancient pyramid of cheops, egypt

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Pyramid age

The architect of the Great Pyramid is Hemiun, the vizier and nephew of Cheops. He also bore the title "Manager of all construction sites of the pharaoh." It is assumed that the construction, which lasted twenty years (the reign of Cheops), ended around 2540 BC. e. .

The existing methods of dating the time of the beginning of the construction of the pyramid are divided into historical, astronomical and radiocarbon. In Egypt, it was officially established (2009) and the date of the start of the construction of the pyramid of Cheops is celebrated - August 23, 2560 BC. e. This date was obtained using the astronomical method of Kate Spence (University of Cambridge). However, this method and the dates derived from it have been criticized by many Egyptologists. Dates according to other dating methods: 2720 BC. e. (Stephen Hack, University of Nebraska), 2577 B.C. e. (Juan Antonio Belmonte, University of Astrophysics in Canaris) and 2708 BC. e. (Pollux, Bauman University). The radiocarbon method gives a range from 2680 BC. e. until 2850 BC e. Therefore, there is no serious confirmation of the established “birthday” of the pyramid, since Egyptologists cannot agree on exactly what year the construction began.

The first mention of the pyramid

The complete absence of a mention of the pyramid in Egyptian papyri remains a mystery. The first descriptions are found in the Greek historian Herodotus (5th century BC) and in ancient Arabic legends [ ] . Herodotus reported (at least 2 millennia after the appearance of the Great Pyramid) that it was erected under a despot pharaoh named Cheops (Greek. Koufou), who ruled for 50 years, that 100 thousand people were employed in the construction. for twenty years, and that the pyramid is in honor of Cheops, but not his grave. The real grave is a burial near the pyramid. Herodotus gave erroneous information about the size of the pyramid, and also mentioned the middle pyramid of the Giza plateau, that it was erected by the daughter of Cheops, who sold herself, and that each building stone corresponded to the man to whom she was given. According to Herodotus, if "to raise a stone, a long winding path to the grave opened," without specifying what kind of pyramid in question; however, the pyramids of the Giza plateau did not have "winding" paths to the tomb at the time of their visit by Herodotus; on the contrary, the Descending passage of the BP of Cheops is distinguished by careful straightness. And other premises in the BP at that time were not known.

Appearance

The surviving fragments of the facing of the pyramid and the remains of the pavement that surrounded the building

The pyramid is called "Akhet-Khufu" - "Horizon of Khufu" (or more precisely "Related to the sky - (this is) Khufu"). Consists of blocks of limestone and granite. It was built on a natural limestone hill. After the pyramid has lost several layers of lining, this hill is partially visible on the eastern, northern and southern sides of the pyramid. Despite the fact that the Pyramid of Cheops is the tallest and most voluminous of all Egyptian pyramids, Pharaoh Sneferu built the pyramids in Meidum and Dahshut (the Bent Pyramid and the Pink Pyramid), the total mass of which is estimated at 8.4 million tons.

Initially, the pyramid was lined with white limestone, harder than the main blocks. The top of the pyramid was crowned with a gilded stone - a pyramidion (ancient Egyptian - "Benben"). The cladding shone in the sun with a peach color, as if "a shining miracle, to which the sun god Ra himself seemed to give all his rays." In 1168, the Arabs sacked and burned Cairo. The inhabitants of Cairo removed the lining from the pyramid in order to build new houses.

Statistical data

Pyramid of Cheops in the 19th century

Map of the necropolis near the pyramid of Cheops

Height (today): ≈ 136.5 m
Sidewall Angle (Now): 51° 50"
Side rib length (original): 230.33 m (calculated) or about 440 royal cubits
Side rib length (now): about 225 m
The length of the sides of the base of the pyramid: south - 230.454 m; north - 230.253 m; west - 230.357 m; east - 230.394 m
Base area (originally): ≈ 53,000 m2 (5.3 ha)
The area of the side surface of the pyramid (initially): ≈ 85,500 m 2
Base perimeter: 922 m
The total volume of the pyramid without deducting the cavities inside the pyramid (initially): ≈ 2.58 million m 3
The total volume of the pyramid minus all known cavities (initially): 2.50 million m3
Average volume of stone blocks: 1.147 m3
Average weight of stone blocks: 2.5 t
The heaviest stone block: about 35 tons - is located above the entrance to the "King's Chamber".
The number of blocks of the average volume does not exceed 1.65 million (2.50 million m³ - 0.6 million m³ of rocky base inside the pyramid = 1.9 million m 3 / 1.147 m 3 = 1.65 million blocks of the specified volume can physically fit in the pyramid , without taking into account the volume of the solution in the interblock seams); reference to a 20-year construction period * 300 working days per year * 10 working hours per day * 60 minutes per hour results in a laying (and delivery to the construction site) speed of about a block of two minutes.
According to estimates, the total weight of the pyramid is about 4 million tons (1.65 million blocks x 2.5 tons)
The base of the pyramid rests on a natural rocky elevation with a height in the center of about 12-14 m and, according to the latest data, occupies at least 23% of the original volume of the pyramid
The number of layers (tiers) of stone blocks - 210 (at the time of construction). Now the layers are 203.

Side concavity

The concavity of the sides of the pyramid of Cheops

When the sun moves around the pyramid, you can notice the unevenness of the walls - the concavity of the central part of the walls. Perhaps the reason for this is erosion or damage resulting from the fall of the stone cladding. It is also possible that this was deliberately done during construction. As Vito Maragioglio and Celeste Rinaldi note, the pyramid of Menkaure no longer has such a concavity of the sides. I.E.S. Edwards explains this feature by the fact that the central part of each side was simply pressed inward from a large mass of stone blocks over time. [ ]

As in the 18th century, when this phenomenon was discovered, today there is still no satisfactory explanation for this feature of architecture.

Observation of the concavity of the sides at the end of the 19th century, Description of Egypt

Tilt angle

It is not possible to accurately determine the original parameters of the pyramid, since its edges and surfaces are currently mostly dismantled and destroyed. This makes it difficult to calculate the exact angle of inclination. In addition, its symmetry itself is not perfect, so deviations in numbers are observed with different measurements.

Geometric study of ventilation tunnels

The study of the geometry of the Great Pyramid does not give an unambiguous answer to the question of the original proportions of this structure. It is assumed that the Egyptians had an idea about the Golden Ratio and the number pi, which were reflected in the proportions of the pyramid: for example, the ratio of height to base is 14/22 (height \u003d 280 cubits, and base \u003d 440 cubits, 280/440 \u003d 14 / 22). For the first time in world history, these values were used in the construction of the pyramid at Meidum. However, for pyramids of later eras, these proportions were not used anywhere else, as, for example, some have height-to-base ratios, such as 6/5 (Pink Pyramid), 4/3 (Chefren's Pyramid) or 7/5 (Broken Pyramid).

Some of the theories consider the pyramid to be an astronomical observatory. It is alleged that the corridors of the pyramid point exactly towards the "polar star" of that time - Tuban, the ventilation corridors of the south side - to the star Sirius, and from the north side - to the star Alnitak.

Internal structure

Cross section of the pyramid of Cheops:

The entrance to the pyramid is at a height of 15.63 meters on the north side. Entrance form stone slabs, laid in the form of an arch, but this is the structure that was inside the pyramid - the true entrance has not been preserved. The true entrance to the pyramid was most likely closed with a stone plug. A description of such a cork can be found in Strabo, and its appearance can also be imagined based on the surviving slab that closed the upper entrance to broken pyramid Sneferu, father of Cheops. Today, tourists enter the pyramid through a 17-meter gap, which was made in 820 by the Baghdad caliph Abdullah al-Mamun 10 meters lower. He hoped to find the innumerable treasures of the pharaoh there, but found there only a layer of dust half a cubit thick.

Inside the pyramid of Cheops are three burial chambers located one above the other.

Funeral "pit"

Underground Chamber Maps

A descending corridor 105 m long, inclined at 26° 26’46, leads to a horizontal corridor 8.9 m long leading to the chamber 5 . Located below ground level in a rocky limestone base, it was left unfinished. The dimensions of the chamber are 14 × 8.1 m, it is elongated from east to west. The height reaches 3.5 m, the ceiling has a large crack. At the southern wall of the chamber there is a well about 3 m deep, from which a narrow manhole (0.7 × 0.7 m in cross section) stretches southward for 16 m, ending in a dead end. Engineers John Shae Perring and Richard William Howard Vyse cleared the floor of the chamber in the early 19th century and dug a 11.6 m deep well in which they hoped to find a hidden burial chamber. They were based on the evidence of Herodotus, who claimed that the body of Cheops was on an island surrounded by a channel in a hidden underground chamber. Their excavations turned up nothing. Later research showed that the chamber was left unfinished, and it was decided to arrange the burial chambers in the center of the pyramid itself.

Ascending Corridor and Queen's Chambers

From the first third of the descending passage (after 18 m from the main entrance) upwards at the same angle of 26.5 ° there is an ascending passage to the south ( 6 ) about 40 m long, ending at the bottom Grand Gallery (9 ).

At its beginning, the ascending passage contains 3 large cubic granite "plugs", which, from the outside, from the descending passage, were masked by a block of limestone that fell during the work of al-Ma'mun. Thus, for the first 3000 years from the construction of the pyramid (including during the era of its active visits in Antiquity), it was believed that there were no other rooms in the Great Pyramid, except for the descending passage and the underground chamber. Al-Ma'mun failed to break through these plugs and simply hollowed out a bypass in the softer limestone to the right of them. This passage is still in use today. There are two main theories about plugs, one of them is that the ascending passage has plugs installed at the beginning of construction and thus this passage was sealed by them from the very beginning. The second asserts that the present narrowing of the walls was caused by an earthquake, and the plugs were previously located within the Great Gallery and were used to seal the passage only after the burial of the pharaoh.

An important mystery of this section of the ascending passage is that in the place where the traffic jams are now located, in a full-size, albeit shortened model of the pyramid passages - the so-called test corridors north of the Great Pyramid - there is a junction of not two, but three corridors at once, the third of which is the vertical tunnel. Since no one has been able to move the traffic jams so far, the question of whether there is a vertical hole above them remains open.

In the middle of the ascending passage, the construction of the walls has a peculiarity: the so-called “frame stones” are installed in three places - that is, the passage, square along the entire length, pierces through three monoliths. The purpose of these stones is unknown. In the area of the frame stones, the passage walls have several small niches.

A horizontal corridor 35 m long and 1.75 m high leads to the second burial chamber from the lower part of the Great Gallery in a southerly direction. . Behind the western wall of the passage there are cavities filled with sand. The second chamber is traditionally called the "Queen's Chamber", although according to the rite, the wives of the pharaohs were buried in separate small pyramids. The "Queen's Chamber", lined with limestone, has 5.74 meters from east to west and 5.23 meters from north to south; her maximum height 6.22 meters. There is a high niche in the eastern wall of the chamber.

Blueprint of the Queen's Chamber ( 7 )

Niche in the wall of the Queen's Chamber

Corridor at the entrance to the Queen's Hall (1910)

Entrance to the Queen's Chamber (1910)

Niche in the Queen's Chamber (1910)

Ventilation duct in the queen's chamber (1910)

Corridor to ascending tunnel ( 12 )

Granite Plug (1910)

Corridor to the ascending tunnel (left - closing blocks)

Grotto, Grand Gallery and Pharaoh's Chambers

Another branch from the lower part of the Grand Gallery is a narrow almost vertical shaft about 60 m high, leading to the lower part of the descending passage. There is an assumption that it was intended for the evacuation of workers or priests who were completing the "sealing" of the main passage to the "King's Chamber". Approximately in the middle of it is a small, most likely natural extension - the "Grotto" (Grotto) of irregular shape, in which several people could fit from strength. Grotto ( 12 ) is located at the "junction" of the masonry of the pyramid and a small, about 9 meters high, hill on a limestone plateau lying at the base of the Great Pyramid. The walls of the Grotto are partially reinforced with ancient masonry, and since some of its stones are too large, there is an assumption that the Grotto existed on the Giza plateau as an independent structure long before the construction of the pyramids, and the evacuation shaft itself was built taking into account the location of the Grotto. However, taking into account the fact that the shaft was actually hollowed out in the already laid masonry, and not laid out, as evidenced by its irregular circular section, the question arises of how the builders managed to accurately reach the Grotto.

The large gallery continues the ascending passage. Its height is 8.53 m, it is rectangular in cross section, with walls slightly tapering upwards (the so-called “false vault”), a high inclined tunnel 46.6 m long. 1 meter wide and 60 cm deep, and on both side protrusions there are 27 pairs of recesses of unclear purpose. The deepening ends with the so-called. The “Big Step” is a high horizontal ledge, a platform of 1 × 2 meters at the end of the Great Gallery, directly in front of the entrance to the “entrance hall” - the Anterior Chamber. The site has a pair of recesses similar to the ramp recesses, recesses at the corners near the wall (the 28th and last pair of BG recesses). Through the "entrance hall" the manhole leads to the burial chamber "King's Chamber" lined with black granite, where an empty granite sarcophagus is placed. The lid of the sarcophagus is missing. Ventilation shafts have mouths in the "King's Chamber" on the southern and northern walls at a height of about a meter from the floor level. The mouth of the southern ventilation shaft is badly damaged, the northern one appears undamaged. The floor, ceiling, walls of the chamber do not have any decorations or holes or fasteners of anything related to the time of the construction of the pyramid. The ceiling slabs have all burst along the southern wall and do not fall into the room only due to the pressure of the overlying blocks by the weight.

Above the "King's Chamber" there are five discharge cavities discovered in the 19th century with a total height of 17 m, between which lie monolithic granite slabs with a thickness of about 2 m, and above - a gable ceiling of limestone. It is believed that their purpose is to distribute the weight of the overlying layers of the pyramid (about a million tons) in order to protect the "King's Chamber" from pressure. Graffiti has been found in these voids, probably left by workers.

Interior of the Grotto (1910)

Grotto drawing (1910)

Drawing connecting the Grotto with the Grand Gallery (1910)

Tunnel Entrance (1910)

View of the Grand Gallery from the entrance to the premises

Grand Gallery

Grand Gallery (1910)

Drawing of the Pharaoh's Chamber

pharaoh's chamber

Pharaoh's Chamber (1910)

Interior of the vestibule in front of the king's chamber (1910)

Channel "ventilation" at the south wall of the king's room (1910)

ventilation ducts

From the "Chamber of the King" and the "Chamber of the Queen" in the northern and south directions(first horizontally, then obliquely upwards) the so-called “ventilation” channels 20-25 cm wide depart. as the lower ends of the channels of the "Queen's Chamber" are separated from the surface of the wall by about 13 cm, they were discovered during tapping in 1872. The upper ends of the shafts of the "Queen's Chamber" do not reach the surface of about 12 meters, and are closed with stone "Gantenbrink Doors", each with two copper handles. Copper handles were sealed with plaster seals (not preserved, but traces remained). In the southern ventilation shaft, the “door” was discovered in 1993 using the Upuaut II remote-controlled robot; the bend of the northern mine did not allow then to find in it the same “door” by this robot. In 2002, using a new modification of the robot, a hole was drilled in the southern "door", but a small cavity 18 centimeters long and another stone "door" were found behind it. What lies next is still unknown. This robot confirmed the presence of a similar "door" at the end of the northern channel, but they did not drill it. A new robot in 2010 was able to insert a serpentine television camera through a drilled hole in the southern “door” and found that the copper “handles” on the other side of the “door” were designed in the form of neat hinges, and separate badges were applied in red ocher on the floor of the “ventilation” shaft. Currently, the most common version is that the purpose of the "ventilation" ducts was of a religious nature and is associated with the Egyptians' ideas about afterlife souls. And the “door” at the end of the channel is nothing more than a door to the afterlife. That is why it does not go to the surface of the pyramid. At the same time, the shafts of the upper burial chamber have through exits to the outside and inside of the room; it is not clear if this is due to some change in ritual; since the outer few meters of the facing of the pyramid have been destroyed, it is not clear whether the "Gantenbrink Doors" were in the upper shafts. (could be in the place where the mine was not preserved). In the southern upper mine there is a so-called. "Cheops niches" - strange expansions and grooves, which, perhaps, contained a "door". In the northern upper there are no "niches" at all.

The most ancient wonder of the world that we can admire even now is the pyramid of Cheops. Shrouded in myths and legends, the Egyptian pyramid was the largest and tallest building for many millennia. Khufu (another name for the pyramid) is located in Giza - the popular place crowds of tourists.

History of the pyramids

The pyramids in Egypt are practically the main attraction of the country. There are many hypotheses related to their origin and construction. But they all agree on one important conclusion of the pyramids in Egypt - these are impressive tombs for the great inhabitants of the country (in those days they were pharaohs). The Egyptians believed in the afterlife and life after death. It was believed that only a few were worthy of continuing their life path after death - these are the pharaohs themselves of their families and the slaves who were constantly next to the lords. The images of slaves and servants were painted on the walls of the tombs so that after their death they could continue to serve their king. According to the ancient religion of the Egyptians, a person had two inner souls Ba and Ka. Ba - left the Egyptian after his death, and Ka always acted as a virtual double and waited for him in the world of the dead.

So that the pharaoh did not need anything in the afterlife, food, weapons, kitchen utensils, gold and much more were left in the tomb of the pyramid. In order for the body to remain unchanged and wait for the second soul of Ba, it was necessary to preserve it. This is how the birth of embalming the body and the need to create pyramids arose.

The emergence of the pyramids in Egypt originates from the construction of the pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser 5 thousand years ago. The outer walls of the first pyramid were in the form of steps, which symbolized the ascent to heaven. The height of the structure was 60 meters with many corridors and several tombs. Djoser's chamber was located in the underground part of the pyramid. Several more passages leading to small chambers were made from the royal tomb. They contained all the accessories for the further afterlife of the Egyptians. Closer to the east, chambers for the entire family of the pharaoh were found. The building itself was not so huge compared to the pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops, whose height is almost 3 times greater. But it is with the pyramid of Djoser that the history of the emergence of all Egyptian pyramids begins.

Very often in the photo of the Cheops pyramid you can see two more nearby standing pyramids. This is famous pyramids Herfen and Mekerin. It is these three pyramids that are considered the most important assets of the country. The height of the pyramid of Cheops significantly distinguishes it from the rest of the standing and other pyramids of Egypt. Initially, the walls of the structure were smooth, but after a long period of years they began to crumble. If you look at modern photos of the Cheops pyramid, you can see the relief of the facade and its unevenness, formed over millennia.

The birth of the pyramid of Cheops

The Pyramid of Cheops, according to the official version, was erected in the autumn of 2480 BC. date of origin of the first ancient miracle light, many historians and researchers dispute, arguing in favor of their arguments. The construction of the Great Pyramid lasted about 2-3 decades. More than one hundred thousand inhabitants of ancient Egypt and the best masters of that time participated in it. First of all, it was built big road for the delivery of building materials, then underground passages and mine. Most of the time was spent on the construction of the upper part of the pyramid - the walls and internal passages and tombs.

There are very interesting feature buildings: the height of the pyramid of Cheops in its original form and the width was 147 meters each. Due to the sands that covered the base of the structure and the shedding of the facing part, it decreased by 10 meters and now it is now 137 meters in height. A giant tomb was built mainly from huge blocks of limestone and granite weighing about 2.5 tons, which were carefully polished so as not to lose the ideal shape of the structure. And in the tomb of the most ancient pharaoh, granite blocks were found, the weight of which reached almost 80 tons. According to Egyptologists' calculations, it took about 2,300,000 huge stones, which cannot but impress us all.

The doubts associated with the construction of the pyramid were that in those dark times there were no special machines and devices at all capable of lifting and ideally folding heavy blocks under a certain slope. Some believed that more than a million people took part in the construction, others that the blocks were lifted by a lifting mechanism. Everything was so thought out and as perfect as possible that without the use of concrete mortar and cement, the stones were laid in such a way that it was completely impossible to insert even thin paper between them! There is an assumption that the pyramid was created not at all by people, but by aliens or another force unknown to man.

We are based specifically on the fact that the pyramids are still the creation of people. In order to quickly extract a stone of the required size and shape from the rock, its outlines were made. The conditional form was carved, and a dry tree was inserted there. It was regularly watered with water, the tree grew from moisture, and under its pressure a crack formed in the rock. Now a large block was removed and betrayed to her the required shape and size. Stones for construction were redirected along the river by huge boats.

Massive wooden sleds were used to lift the heavy boulders up. On a gentle slope, the stones were lifted one by one by teams of their hundreds of slaves.

Pyramid device

The entrance to the pyramid was originally not where it is now. It had the shape of an arch and was located on the northern side of the building with a height of more than 15 meters. In an attempt to rob great tomb in 820 a new entrance was made, already at a height of 17 meters. But Caliph Abu Jafar, who wanted to enrich himself with the loot, did not find any jewels and valuables and left with nothing. This passage is now open to tourists.

The pyramid consists of several long corridors leading to the tombs. Immediately after the entrance there is a common corridor that diverges into 2 tunnels leading to the central and lower parts of the pyramid. For some reason, the chamber below was not completed. There is also a narrow loophole, behind which there is only a dead end and a three-meter well. Climbing up the corridor, you will find yourself in the Great Gallery. If you turn left at the first turn and walk a little, you will see the chamber of the bishop's wife. And along the corridor above there is the largest one - the tomb of the pharaoh himself.

The beginning of the gallery is interesting in that a long and narrow almost vertical grotto was built there. There is an assumption that he was there even before the foundation of the pyramid itself. From both tombs of the pharaoh and his wife, narrow passages about 20 centimeters wide were made. Presumably they were made to ventilate the wards. There is another version that these passages and corridors are pointers to the stars: Sirius, Alnitaki and Tuban, and that the pyramid served as a place for astronomical research. But there is another opinion - according to the belief in the afterlife, the Egyptians believed that the soul returns from heaven through the channels.

There is one important and interesting fact- the construction of the pyramid was carried out strictly at one angle of 26.5 degrees. There is every reason to believe that the inhabitants of antiquity were very well versed in geometry and the exact sciences. What are the proportional smooth corridors and ventilation ducts.

Not far from the pyramid itself, during the excavations, Egyptian, cedar boats were found. They were made of pure wood without a single nail. One of the boats of the ball is divided into 1224 parts. The restorer Ahamed Yussouf Mustafa managed to assemble it. For this, the architect had to spend as much as 14 years, such a high patience in the name of science can only be envied. The assembled boat can be admired today in the museum of a bizarre shape. It is located on the south side of the Great Pyramid.

Unfortunately, inside the pyramid itself, you can not shoot video and take pictures. But on the other hand, you can take many incredible pictures against the background of this creation. Various souvenirs are also sold here, so that an excursion to these enchanting places can remind you of yourself for a long time.

Photos of the Cheops pyramid, of course, do not reflect all the grandeur and uniqueness of this building.. With us you will plunge into history and look at the world with different eyes.!

- Oh Osiris, I don't want to die! - Who wants to? Osiris shrugged. - But I ... I'm still a pharaoh! .. Listen, - Cheops whispered, - I will sacrifice a hundred thousand slaves to you. Only let me perpetuate one of my lives! - One hundred thousand? And you're sure they'll all die in the construction? - Rest assured. Such a pyramid, as I conceived... - Well, if so... Perpetuate, I don't mind.

The Pyramid of Cheops

No one remembers Cheops alive. Everyone remembers him only dead. He was dead a hundred, and a thousand, and three thousand years ago and always, always will be dead - the pyramid immortalized his death.

1. What is called the first wonder of the world?
Already in antiquity, the pyramids of Giza were considered one of the seven "wonders of the world." The largest of the pyramids was built by Pharaoh Khufu (2590 - 2568 BC), in Greek his name was Cheops. At present, the height of the pyramid is 138 m, although originally it was 147 m: the upper stones fell during earthquakes. The pyramid is made up of 2.5 million limestone blocks of different sizes, weighing an average of 2.5 tons. Initially, it was lined with white sandstone, which was harder than the main blocks, but the lining was not preserved. At the base of the pyramid lies a square with a side of 230 m, oriented to the cardinal points. According to some legends, the corners of the square symbolize Truth, Reason, Silence and Depth, according to others, the pyramid is based on four material substances from which the human body is created.
The greatest creations of antiquity among the pyramids include only the pyramid of Cheops, also called the Great Pyramid.
At a distance of about 160 meters from the pyramid of Cheops, the pyramid of Khafre rises, the height of which is 136.6 meters, and the length of the sides is 210.5 meters. A part of the original cladding is still visible on its top.
The Pyramid of Menkaure, which is even smaller, is located 200 meters from the Pyramid of Khafre. Its height is 62 meters, and the length of the sides is 108 meters. But the most famous Egyptian monument in the world after the pyramid of Cheops is the figure of the sphinx, vigilantly guarding the city of the dead.
The three pyramids are part of the complex, which also consists of several temples, small pyramids, tombs of priests and officials.
The smaller pyramids located to the south were probably intended for the wives of the rulers and remained unfinished.

2. How was the pyramid of Cheops built?

Its height is 146.6 m, which roughly corresponds to a fifty-story skyscraper. The base area is 230x230 m. On such a space, five of the largest cathedrals in the world could easily fit simultaneously: St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome, St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey in London, as well as Florence and Milan Cathedrals. From the building stone that went to the construction of the pyramid of Cheops, it would be possible to build all the churches in Germany, created in our millennium. The young pharaoh Cheops ordered the construction of the pyramid immediately after the death of his father Snefru. Like all previous pharaohs since the time of Djoser (approximately 2609 -2590 BC), Cheops wanted to be buried after his death in a pyramid.
The ivory statue of Pharaoh Cheops is the only surviving image of the pharaoh. On the head of Cheops is the crown of the Ancient Egyptian kingdom, in his hand is a ceremonial fan.
Like his predecessors, he believed that his pyramid should exceed all other pyramids in size, splendor and luxury. But before the first of more than two million blocks that made up the pyramid was cut in a quarry on east coast Nile, complex preparatory work was carried out. First, it was necessary to find a suitable site for the construction of the pyramid. The weight of the huge structure is 6,400,000 tons, so the ground had to be strong enough so that the pyramid would not sink into the ground under its own weight. The construction site was chosen south of the modern Egyptian capital of Cairo, on a ledge of a plateau in the desert seven kilometers west of the village of Giza. This solid rocky platform was able to support the weight of the pyramid.
First, the surface of the site was leveled. To do this, a waterproof shaft of sand and stones was built around it. In the resulting square, a dense network of small channels was cut down, intersecting at right angles, so that the site looked like a huge chessboard. The channels were filled with water, the height of the water level was marked on the side walls, then the water was let down. Stonemasons cut down everything that protruded above the smooth surface of the water, and the channels were again laid with stone. The base of the pyramid was ready.
Over 4,000 people - artists, architects, masons and other craftsmen - carried out these preparatory works for about ten years. Only after that it was possible to proceed with the construction of the pyramid itself. According to the Greek historian Herodotus (490 - 425 BC), construction continued for another twenty years, about 100,000 people worked on the construction of the huge tomb of Cheops. Only 1600 talents were spent on radishes, onions and garlic, which were added to the food of construction workers, i.e. approximately $20 million. Data on the number of workers are questioned by many modern researchers. In their opinion, there simply would not be enough space on the construction site for so many people: more than 8,000 people would not be able to work productively without interfering with each other.
Herodotus, who visited Egypt in 425 BC, wrote: "The method used was to build in steps, or as some call it rows or terraces. When the construction of the base was completed, the blocks for the next row above the base were raised from the main level with devices made of short wooden levers; on this first row there was another that raised the blocks one level higher, thus, step by step, the blocks were raised all Higher and higher. Each row or level had its own set of mechanisms of the same type that easily moved loads from level to level. The completion of the construction of the pyramid began at the top with the highest level, continued down, and ended with the lowest levels closer to the ground.
During the construction of the pyramid, Egypt was a wealthy country. Every year from the end of June to November, the Nile overflowed its banks and flooded the adjacent fields with its waters, leaving a thick layer of silt on them, which turned the dry sand of the desert into fertile soil. Therefore, in favorable years, it was possible to harvest up to three crops a year - grain, fruits and vegetables. So, from June to November, the peasants could not work in their fields. And they were glad when every year in mid-June a scribe of the pharaoh appeared in their village, compiling lists of those who wanted to work on the construction of the pyramid.

3. Who worked on the construction of the pyramid?
Almost everyone wanted this work, which means that it was not forced labor, but voluntary labor. This was due to two reasons: each construction participant received housing, clothing, food and a modest salary while working. Four months later, when the waters of the Nile left the fields, the peasants returned to their villages.

In addition, every Egyptian considered it his natural duty and honor to participate in the construction of the pyramid for the pharaoh. After all, everyone who contributed to the fulfillment of this grandiose task hoped that a particle of the immortality of the god-like pharaoh would touch him too. Therefore, at the end of June, endless streams of peasants rushed to Giza. There they were placed in temporary barracks and united in groups of eight people. You could start work. Having crossed in boats to the other side of the Nile, the men were heading to the quarry. There they cut down a stone block, hewn it with the help of sledgehammers, wedges, saws and borers and received a block of the required size - with sides from 80 cm to 1.45 m. Using ropes and levers, each group installed its block on wooden skids and on them along the log flooring she dragged him to the banks of the Nile. The sailboat transported workers and a block weighing up to 7.5 tons to the other side.

4. What was the most dangerous job?
On the roads lined with logs, the stone was dragged to the construction site. Here came the turn of the hardest work, since cranes and other lifting devices had not yet been invented. Along an inclined entrance 20 m wide, built of bricks from the Nile silt, skids with a stone block were pulled to the upper platform of the pyramid under construction with the help of ropes and levers. There, the workers laid the block in the place indicated by the architect with an accuracy of a millimeter. The higher the pyramid rose, the longer and steeper the entrance became, and the upper working platform became more and more reduced. So the work got harder and harder.
Then came the turn of the most dangerous work: the laying of the "pyramidon" - the upper block nine meters high, dragged upward along an inclined entrance. How many people died doing just this job, we do not know. So, twenty years later, the construction of the body of the pyramid was completed, which consists of 128 layers of stone and is four meters higher than the Strasbourg Cathedral. By this time, the pyramid looked about the same as it looks now: it was stepped mountain. However, the work did not end there: the steps were laid with stones, so that the surface of the pyramid became, although not quite smooth, but already without protrusions. At the end of the work, the four triangular outer faces of the pyramid were faced with slabs of dazzling white limestone. The edges of the plates were fitted so precisely that even a knife blade could not be inserted between them. Even from a distance of several meters, the pyramid gave the impression of a giant monolith. The outer slabs have been polished to a mirror finish with the hardest grinding stones. According to eyewitnesses, in the sun or moonlight, the tomb of Cheops mysteriously sparkled like a huge crystal glowing from within.

5. What's inside the pyramid of Cheops?
The pyramid of Cheops is not made entirely of stone. Inside it there is a branched system of passages, which, through a large passage 47 m long, the so-called large gallery, leads to the chamber of the pharaoh - a room 10.5 m long, 5.3 m wide and 5.8 m high. It is entirely lined with granite, but not decorated with any ornament. Here stands a large empty granite sarcophagus without a lid. The sarcophagus was brought here during construction, as it does not pass through any of the passages of the pyramid. There are such chambers of the pharaohs in almost all Egyptian pyramids, they served last resort pharaoh.
There are no inscriptions or decorations inside the Cheops pyramid, except for a small portrait in the passage leading to the Queen's chamber. This image resembles a photograph on a stone. On the outer walls of the pyramid there are numerous curvilinear grooves of large and small sizes, in which, at a certain angle of illumination, one can distinguish an image 150 meters high - a portrait of a man, apparently one of the deities ancient egypt. This image is surrounded by other images (the trident of the Atlanteans and Scythians, a flying bird, plans of stone buildings, pyramid rooms), texts, individual letters, large signs resembling a flower bud, etc. On the north side of the pyramid there is a portrait of a man and a woman with their heads bowed to each other. These huge images were painted just a few years before the main pyramid was completed and installed in 2630 BC. top stone.
Inside the pyramid of Cheops there are three burial chambers located one above the other. The construction of the first chamber was not completed. It is carved into the rock. To get into it, you need to overcome 120 m of a narrow descending corridor. The first burial chamber is connected with the second horizontal corridor 35 m long and 1.75 m high. The second chamber is called the "queen's chamber", although according to the rite, the wives of the pharaohs were buried in separate small pyramids.
The queen's chamber is overgrown with legends. It is associated with a legend according to which the pyramid was the main temple of a certain Supreme Deity, a place where ancient secret religious rites were held. Somewhere in the depths of the pyramid lives an unknown creature with the face of a lion, which holds in its hands the seven keys of Eternity. No one can see him, except for those who have undergone special rites of preparation and purification. Only to them did the Great Priest reveal the secret Divine Name. The person who owns the secret of the name became equal in its magical power to the pyramid itself. The main sacrament of initiation took place in the royal chamber. There, the candidate, tied to a special cross, was placed in a huge sarcophagus. The person receiving the initiation was, as it were, in the gap between the material world and the divine world, inaccessible to human consciousness.
From the beginning of the horizontal corridor, another one goes up, about 50 meters long and more than 8 meters high. At the end of it there is a horizontal passage leading to the pharaoh's burial chamber, finished with granite, in which the sarcophagus is placed. In addition to the burial chambers, voids and ventilation shafts were found in the pyramid. However, the purpose of many rooms and various hollow channels has not been fully figured out. One of these rooms is a room where there is an open book on the table about the history and achievements of the country during the period when the construction of the pyramid was completed.
The purpose of the underground structures at the foot of the pyramid of Cheops is also unclear. Some of them were opened at different times. In one of the underground structures in 1954, archaeologists found the oldest ship on Earth - a wooden boat, called the sun, 43.6 m long, disassembled into 1224 parts. It was built of cedar without a single nail and, as evidenced by traces of silt preserved on it, before the death of Cheops, it was still floating on the Nile.

6. How was the burial of the pharaoh?
After death, the carefully embalmed body of the ruler was placed in the burial chamber of the pyramid. The internal organs of the deceased were placed in special hermetic vessels, the so-called canopies, which were placed next to the sarcophagus in the burial chamber. So, the mortal remains of the pharaoh found their last earthly refuge in the pyramid, and the "ka" of the deceased left the tomb. "Ka", according to Egyptian ideas, was considered something like a double of a person, his "second self", which left the body at the time of death and could freely move between the earthly and the afterlife. Leaving the burial chamber, "ka" rushed to the top of the pyramid along its outer lining, so smooth that none of the mortals could move along it. The father of the pharaohs, the sun god Ra, was already there in his solar boat, in which the deceased pharaoh began his journey to immortality.
Recently, some scholars have questioned whether Great Pyramid indeed was the tomb of the pharaoh Cheops. They put forward three arguments in favor of this assumption:
The burial chamber, contrary to the customs of that time, does not have any decorations.
The sarcophagus, in which the body of the deceased pharaoh was supposed to rest, was only roughly hewn, i.e. not completely ready; lid is missing.
And, finally, two narrow passages through which air from outside enters the burial chamber through small holes in the body of the pyramid. But the dead do not need air - this is another weighty argument in favor of the fact that the pyramid of Cheops was not a burial place.
7. Who first entered the pyramid of Cheops?
The entrance to the pyramid of Cheops was originally located on the north side, at the level of the 13th row of granite slabs. Now it is closed. You can get inside the pyramid through a manhole left by ancient robbers.
For more than 3,500 years, the interior of the Great Pyramid was not disturbed by anyone: all the entrances to it were carefully walled up, and the tomb itself, according to the Egyptians, was guarded by spirits ready to kill anyone who tried to enter it.
That's why the robbers came here much later. The first person to penetrate the pyramid of Cheops was Caliph Abdullah al-Mamun (813-833 BC), son of Harun al-Rashid. He dug a tunnel to the burial chamber in the hope of discovering treasures there, as in other tombs of the pharaohs. But he did not find anything except the droppings of bats that lived there, the layer of which on the floor and on the walls reached 28 cm. After that, the interest of robbers and treasure seekers in the pyramid of Cheops disappeared. But they were replaced by other robbers. In 1168, after R. Chr. part of Cairo was burned and completely destroyed by the Arabs, who did not want it to fall into the hands of the crusaders. When the Egyptians then set about rebuilding their city, they removed the shiny white slabs that covered the outside of the pyramid and used them to build new houses. Even now, these plates can be seen in many mosques in the old part of the city. From the former pyramid, only a stepped body remained - this is how it now appears before the enthusiastic gaze of tourists. Together with the lining, the pyramid also lost its top, the pyramidon, and the upper layers of the masonry. Therefore, now its height is no longer 144.6 m, but 137.2 m. Today, the top of the pyramid is a square with sides of about 10 m. This site in 1842 became the venue for unusual festivities. The Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm IV, known for his love of art, sent an expedition to the Nile Valley led by archaeologist Richard Lepsius in order to acquire ancient Egyptian art objects and other exhibits for the Egyptian Museum being created in Berlin (it was opened in 1855).

Powerful, surrounded by mystery .. - this is the pyramid of Cheops that stood for 4500 years

) is truly a wonder of the world. From the foot to the top, it reaches 137.3 meters, and before it lost the top, its height was 146.7 meters. A century and a half ago, it was the tallest building in the world, only in 1880 it was exceeded by two built-on towers of the Cologne Cathedral (by 20 meters), and in 1889 by the Eiffel Tower. The sides of its base are 230.4 meters, the area is 5.4 hectares. Its initial volume was 2,520,000 cubic meters; now it is about 170,000 cubic meters smaller, because for centuries the pyramid was used as a quarry. About 2,250,000 stone blocks were used for its construction, each with a volume of more than a cubic meter; this material would be enough to build a city with a hundred thousand inhabitants. Its weight is 6.5-7 million tons. If it were hollow, it would include a launcher for space rockets. According to experts, even the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima would not have destroyed it.

It was built, according to the most common dating, in 2560-2540. BC BC, although some scientists give dates about 150 years earlier. Inside the pyramid are three chambers corresponding to the three stages of its construction. The first chamber is carved into the rock at a depth of about 30 meters below the base of the pyramid and not exactly in the middle of it; its area - 8 x 14 meters, height - 3.5 meters. It remained unfinished, as well as the second, which is located in the core of the pyramid, exactly under the top, at a height of about 20 meters above the base; its area is 5.7 x 5.2 meters, the vaulted ceiling reaches a height of 6.7 meters; once it was called the "tomb of the queen." The third chamber is the tomb of the king; unlike the other two, it is finished; in it was found the sarcophagus of Cheops. It was built at a height of 42.3 meters above the base and slightly south of the axis of the pyramid; its dimensions are 10.4 x 5.2 meters; height - 5.8 meters. It is lined with immaculately polished and carefully fitted granite slabs; above the ceiling there are five unloading chambers, the total height of which is 17 meters. They take on the weight of about a million tons of stone mass so that it does not press directly on the burial chamber.

The pharaoh's sarcophagus is wider than the entrance to the chamber. It was carved from a single piece of brownish-gray granite, without a date or an inscription, and rather badly damaged. It stands in the western corner of the tomb, right on the floor. It was placed here during construction, and, apparently, no one has moved since then. This sarcophagus looks like it was cast from metal. But the body of Cheops himself is not in it.

All three cells have "antechambers" and are all connected by corridors or shafts. Some mines end in a dead end. Two shafts lead from the royal tomb to the surface of the pyramid, going out approximately in the middle of the northern and southern walls. One of their purposes is to provide ventilation; perhaps there were others.

Discovery: Exploding history. Secrets of the Great Pyramid

The original entrance to the pyramid is located on the north side, 25 meters above the base. Now another entrance leads to the pyramid, punched in 820 by the caliph Mamun, who hoped to discover the pharaoh's untold treasures, but found nothing. This entrance is located about 15 meters lower than the previous one, almost in the very center of the north side.

The Great Pyramid was surrounded by no less labor-intensive and expensive buildings. Herodotus, who saw the road leading from the upper (mortuary) temple to the lower, which was lined with polished slabs and had a width of 18 meters, called its construction a work "almost as huge as the construction of the pyramid itself." Now some 80 meters of it have survived - the road disappeared at the end of the 19th century during the construction of the village of Nazlat es-Simman, now, like Giza, which has become part of Cairo. Somewhere in its place stood a lower temple, 30 meters high, but it probably fell victim to people looking for building material in ancient times.

Of the buildings surrounding the Great Pyramid, only the ruins of the upper (mortuary) temple and three satellite pyramids have survived. Traces of the temple were discovered in 1939 by the Egyptian archaeologist Abu Seif. As usual, it was located to the east of the pyramid, and its pediment had a length of 100 Egyptian cubits (52.5 meters); it was built of Turkish limestone, had a courtyard with 38 square granite pillars, 12 of the same pillars stood in the vestibule in front of a small sanctuary. On both sides of it, about 10 meters away, during the excavations, two “docks” hollowed out in a limestone plateau were found, where “solar boats” were probably kept, the third such “dock” was found to the left of the road to the lower temple. Unfortunately, the "docks" were empty, but archaeologists were rewarded by the chance discovery of two more such "docks" in 1954. In one of them rested a perfectly preserved boat - the most ancient ship in the world. Its length is 36 meters, and it is made of cedar.

The satellite pyramids also stand to the east of the Great Pyramid, although they were usually built to the south. The pyramids are located from north to south "by height", the side of the square base of the first pyramid is 49.5 meters, the second - 49, the third - 46.9. Each of them had a stone fence, a mortuary chapel and a burial chamber, into which a sheer shaft led; in addition, next to the first was a "dock" for the "solar boat". Most scholars believe that these pyramids belonged to the wives of Khufu, of whom the first (main), according to ancient custom, was probably his sister. The names of the first two are unknown to us, the third was called Henutsen.

All three satellite pyramids are quite well preserved, only they are devoid of external cladding.

Apparently, to the east of the first one, it was supposed to build another one, of a larger size, but construction was stopped. According to one hypothesis, it was intended for Queen Hetepheres, the wife of the pharaoh Sneferu and Khufu's mother. In the end, Khufu decided to build for her a secret tomb in the rock a little to the north. This tomb was actually hidden ... until January 1925, when the photographer Reisner's tripod fell into the gap between the camouflage blocks. Then the members of the Harvard-Boston Expedition carried out treasures for three months: thousands of small gold plaques, pieces of furniture and household utensils; gold and silver bracelets, cosmetic boxes with "shadows" for eyeliner, manicure knives, jewelry boxes with the name of the queen. Canopies with its insides and an alabaster sarcophagus were found, which, however, turned out to be empty. This is the first intact tomb of a member of the royal family of the era of the Old Kingdom.

great pyramid was surrounded by a ten-meter stone wall. The ruins of the wall show that it was 3 meters thick and separated from the pyramid by 10.5 meters. Near it, in the distance, there were mastabas (tombs) of dignitaries: almost a hundred of them survived on the north side, more than ten on the south, about forty on the east.

31-03-2017, 22:01 |

The Pyramid of Cheops is the only one of the seven wonders of the world that has survived to this day. Weight 5 million tons, height 146 meters, age 4500 years. The construction of the pyramid of Cheops is still shrouded in great mystery. Many scientists and Egyptologists make a number of assumptions about how it was possible to build such a massive structure at that time.

With the help of modern technology, one of the French architects managed to reproduce a fairly accurate picture. In general, the pyramids are a beautiful and mysterious sight. The massive structures of the pyramid - they were built without special techniques, only by the hands of the ancient Egyptians. It's very strange, and that's why it's so interesting.

Construction of the ancient pyramids of Egypt

To clarify the whole picture, let's go back during the construction of the pyramids. it's a manifestation. They became the gates for all pharaohs from the world of the living to the eternal world of the dead. The most impressive of the pyramids, the Egyptians built in one century. Initially, stepped pyramids were built, for example, the pyramid of Djoser in Sakar is like this.

But the first pyramid with even edges was built by the pharaoh from the IV dynasty Snefr. He was the father of Cheops. The special lining of the pyramids made them the earthly incarnation of the sun. Over time, the true cladding was borrowed from us by the construction of temples and mosques. We can meet such facing only at the base of the pyramid of Cheops and at the top of the pyramid of Khafre.

Pyramid of Khafre was the last great pyramid in the history of Egypt. Then, after a century of grandiose construction, the whole country entered a difficult time for itself. The time of strife, climate change also occurred, droughts began to occur very often. This led to the fact that in a troubled time of civil strife, the secrets of building a pyramid were lost.

Recently, archaeologists found a settlement, in their opinion, it was there that the builders of the pyramid lived. This led to many discoveries. It became clear to Egyptologists how it passed - they lived quite decently, had good housing and plenty of food, ate meat, bread, drank beer. As it turned out, the builders were not. Previously, this point of view dominated.

Interestingly, the pyramid of Cheops was the highest in the world until the end19th century Recall that its height was 146 meters. The burial chamber of the pyramid is lined with granite blocks weighing more than 60 tons. It's all very strange and mysterious. How were the pyramids built? The amazing height and granite blocks inside the pyramid of Cheops are two big secrets.

Pyramid of Cheops construction viewpoint

Many tried to uncover the secret of the construction of this. Herodotus in the 5th century BC the idea was put forward to use levers made of wood. Another idea about the existence of mounds to the top of the pyramid, or ramps outside in the form of a spiral. These hypotheses are very common in history lessons. However, none of them contains a clear evidence base. There are no arguments that would allow us to say with 100% probability that this or that hypothesis is correct.

One French archaeologist came up with the idea that the construction of the pyramids took place from the inside with the help of a spiral tunnel. Before that, he conducted a series of studies of all hypotheses, examined the drawings. Soon he built his assumption about how they built. First, he should have done a technical analysis of his assumption. That is, to develop a theory of how such construction was implemented in practice.

In order to prove this hypothesis, everything had to be calculated. It can be said for sure that the Egyptians did not build ring-shaped tunnels. But they definitely knew how to build structures at right angles. So the idea of building a ramp inside at an angle of 90 degrees came into development. If such a ramp existed, then it became possible to raise the blocks so high, even 146 meters.

Construction in detail of the pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops

So, the idea of interior ramps. The slope of the ramps should not exceed 7%, otherwise it is simply unrealistic to raise the blocks high. At the corners, special open areas. They allowed to turn the blocks in the right direction and at the same time carried out ventilation of the tunnels. The ramp theory was good, but needed proof.

To verify all the calculations, it was necessary to enlist the support of prominent historians. The French architect began to look for interested Egyptologists. However, it was not possible to find those in France who would pay attention to his large-scale project. But one of the American Egyptologists responded to his proposal. Upon meeting, the American was struck by this theory.

Scientists go to find proof of their theory. It is worth noting that the pyramid of Cheops is an amazing sight. Tourists are allowed inside through a predatory passage. Exploring the pyramid from the inside, scientists tried to find at least some hints of an internal ramp. The joints between the blocks are amazing, they are just perfect, there are no gaps.

If you move through a narrow passage under the ceiling of the gallery, then it will lead to 5 layers of granite blocks. They form unloading strips above the king's chamber, it relieves the load from the ceiling of the lower chambers. Without this system, the pharaoh's chamber would have collapsed.

In addition, there is a special construction passage to the very top of the pyramid. It was there that scientists at the beginning of the XIX century. discovered the cartouche of Pharaoh Cheops. This is the main proof that this is the pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops.

By the way, if you are a tourist and want to get acquainted with the treasures of the pharaohs, then you need to go to the Cairo Museum. There are a million exhibits that will tell about ancient civilization Egypt. But only two exhibits are related to the pyramid of Cheops specifically - the statuette of Cheops made of ivory and the cedar sleigh. Lebanese cedar sled allows you to understand how the pyramid was built.

Stages of building a pyramid

During the reign of Cheops, not a single Egyptian had any idea what a wheel was. Stone blocks were transported on cedar skids. But, nevertheless, in terms of the level of technology, the Egyptians achieved great success. The genius of the pyramid builders still fascinates Egyptologists.

According to the theory of the French architect, there were two ramps. The first straight line goes from the base of the pyramid outside. It allows you to build the base of the pyramid and even more than half of the structure itself, while also building the pharaoh's gallery. Then a second ramp was built, which was already located inside the pyramid. According to the theory, after the construction of 43 meters of the pyramid, blocks for the king's chamber were raised to its surface. Then the outer ramp was dismantled and a second inner ramp was built from these materials.

To prove this theory, you need to find the remains of a ramp inside. Not far from Cheops, a temple of the Sun was built, it was built 100 years later. Interestingly, there is a passage inside that looks like an internal ramp. The temple itself would have been destroyed at the end of the 19th century, but there is a drawing of it. This is direct evidence that the Egyptians knew how to build such passages. Thus, there is a high probability that the same ramp was built in the pyramid of Cheops.

Pyramid of Cheops and construction features

In order for the shape to be ideal, according to the scientist, the outer blocks were first laid. Accordingly, the internal blocks were laid later. This sequence made it possible to visually control the surface and the angle of inclination of the building under construction. There is a broken pyramid in Dashur, its facing has been preserved. The thickness of the outer cladding blocks is much greater than that of the inner blocks. This also speaks in favor of the fact that the external polished blocks were installed first, and then the internal ones.

So, the outer polished blocks were laid, then another layer of blocks horizontally, and the rest of the space was filled with rough blocks as a filler. With this order of construction, it really could have been erected within 20 years. Such a date is indicated in the texts of the ancient Egyptians.

On the pyramid of Cheops, whitish lines are visible from the outside, it can be assumed that this is the ramp. Their latitude and slope correspond exactly to the figures in this theory. For accurate data, the pyramid needs to be scanned, and if there are fluctuations in density, then this will be the main evidence for the existence of the ramp. After research, fluctuations were found. The vibrations formed the shape of a spiral. Such results were given by microgramimetric research.

According to the microgramimetric study, the voids in the density of the pyramid formed a spiral shape. According to the data obtained, voids occupied 15% of the entire density of the Cheops pyramid. There is a notch on the northeastern edge of the pyramid; according to calculations, it runs right in the area of the ramp. Maybe there was a building site where the Egyptians were unrolling the blocks. But it is difficult to explore this area, since after accidents it is forbidden to climb the pyramid.

The Pyramid of Cheops

But the authorities went to a meeting, and the Egyptologist, together with an assistant, climbed to look at the notch closer. However, no hint of a ramp could be found. But studies have proven for sure that there is a spiral cavity inside. Only here is another mystery - this is how the blocks for the king's chamber were raised. After all, only small blocks can be lifted along the inner ramp, but how the rest were delivered ... This is also a question-mystery for now. If you build a pyramid, then the outer ramp will not help deliver a block of 60 tons to the top. This requires 600 people who would work synchronously. And this is practically impossible.

Thus, the assumption of an internal ramp in the form of a spiral is viable, moreover, this version is more suitable than others for the construction of the pyramids. But there are some nuances that are still difficult to explain. It may well remain a mystery for many years to come.