Mysteries of the Egyptian pyramids. Egyptian pyramids: a story in which there are fewer mysteries

Pyramids of Ancient Egypt: secrets, riddles, structure, architecture and internal organization pyramids of ancient Egypt

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Pyramid of Djoser

Deciding on this trip is definitely worth it, if only out of curiosity. After all, the pyramid of Djoser is recognized as the oldest surviving Egyptian pyramid. Yes, yes, this is the first pyramid in Egypt, and it was built in honor of the ruler Djoser by the architect and close associate of the pharaoh Imhotep.

The pyramids of Egypt are a unique architectural monument that has remained for centuries thanks to the mysterious builders who managed to create structures so strong that no natural disasters and destructive wars could completely destroy these ancient Egyptian necropolises. The riddle of the pyramids has not yet been solved: it is impossible to speak with confidence either about the method of their construction, or about who acted as the main labor force. Now in Egypt there are about 118 pyramids, the largest of which were built during the reign of the III and IV dynasties of the pharaohs, that is, during the period of the so-called Old Kingdom. There are two types of pyramids: stepped and regular. The structures of the first type are considered the oldest. For example, the pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser, dating back to 2650 BC. e.

Necropolis in Greek means "city of the dead" and is a cemetery, usually located on the outskirts of the city. Egyptian pyramids - one of the varieties of this kind of burial - served as monumental tombs for the pharaohs.

What do we know about the pyramids of Egypt?

For the first time, they learned about the pyramids thanks to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who lived in the 5th century BC. Traveling in Egypt, he was struck by the famous pyramids of Giza and immediately ranked one of them, dedicated to Cheops, among the seven wonders of the world. Moreover, it was Herodotus who created the legend about how these structures were built. As soon as the pyramids became the object of research by scientists, and this happened only two hundred years ago, this legend immediately became a historical truth, the reliability of which was refuted not so long ago.

How were the ancient pyramids built?

Until our time, safe and sound, not so much has come down as we would like. Numerous vandals who plundered the pyramids for the treasures hidden inside, and locals, who broke out stone blocks for the construction of palaces and mosques, destroyed part of the external and internal appearance. So, the Pink or Northern Pyramid from Dahshur (26 km south of Cairo) got its name because of the color of the stone, turning pink in the rays of the setting Sun. However, she wasn't always like this. Previously, the structure was covered with white limestone, which was completely used to build houses in Cairo.

For a long time it was believed that people who violate the peace of the pharaohs, the ancient gods doom to death. This was confirmed by the legend of the curse of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, according to which everyone who participated in the opening of the grave had to die within a few years. And indeed, by 1929 (the tomb was opened in 1922), 22 people, one way or another involved in the autopsy, died. Whether the reason was the magic of Ancient Egypt or the poison laid in the sarcophagus during burial, it remains to be seen.

It is believed that the famous Great Sphinx, lying near the pyramids of Giza, is the peace guard of the buried pharaohs.

Architecture and internal structure of the pyramids

Pyramids were only part of the ritual-burial complex. Next to each of them were two temples, one side by side, and the other much lower, so that its foot was washed by the waters of the Nile. Pyramids and temples were connected by alleys. An analogue of an alley of a similar plan can be seen in Luxor. The famous Luxor and Karnak temples were united by an alley of sphinxes that has partially survived to our time. The pyramids of Giza have practically not preserved their temples and alleys: only the lower temple of Khafre, the pharaoh of the IV dynasty, has long been considered the temple of the Great Sphinx.

The internal structure of the pyramids implied the obligatory presence of a chamber where the sarcophagus with a mummy was located, and cut passages to this chamber. Sometimes religious texts were placed there. So, interior spaces pyramids in Saqqara, an Egyptian village 30 km from Cairo, contained the oldest works of funeral literature that have come down to us.

It is believed that the famous Great Sphinx, lying near the pyramids of Giza, is the guardian of the peace of the buried pharaohs. Ancient Egyptian name for this world's first monumental sculpture did not reach our time. Only the Greek version of the designation remained in history. Medieval Arabs called the Sphinx "the father of horror."

Modern Egyptologists suggest that the construction of the pyramids was carried out in several stages. Moreover, sometimes the size of the tomb in the process of creation increased several times in comparison with the original project. Pharaohs built their tomb for many years. Only earthworks and leveling the site for the future construction required at least ten. Pharaoh Cheops took twenty years to build the largest pyramid to date. The workers who built the tombs were not at all slaves tortured to death. Moreover, archaeological excavations showed that they were kept in fairly decent conditions, treated and fed normally. However, it is still not known exactly how the huge stone blocks got to the very top. It is only obvious that the construction technique has changed over time, and later buildings were built differently than the first ones.

At the end of the 20th century, architects established that the pyramids were perfect structures, with mathematically correct proportions.

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Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu)
The Great Pyramid, the last remaining wonder from the ancient list of the seven wonders of the world, is a fantastic masterpiece of engineering, not only because of its giant size. It weighs 6.5 million tons and contains more building material than it took to build all the cathedrals, churches and chapels in England! Its uniqueness also lies in the exceptional accuracy of the orientation of the faces according to the cardinal points. The error is negligible - 0.015 percent! Today, achieving such accuracy would require the use of laser theodolites, topographic maps with a resolution of 10 meters and an army of engineers, astronomers and masons.

By the way, the word Pyramid does not define a three-dimensional triangle, and at the same time its root is not even Egyptian. The word Pyramid is made up of the Greek word "pyra" meaning fire, light (or visible) and the Greek word "midos" meaning measures (another meaning is the middle (inside)). The fact is that until 1301, when, after a strong earthquake, the Arabs began to use the loosened cladding for the construction and restoration of palaces and mosques in destroyed Cairo, the Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops - in ancient Greek transcription / 2590-2568 BC /. ), which had an initial height of 146.6 meters (now 138 meters) was lined with polished limestone slabs. Part of the cladding (top 22 rows) is still preserved on the Khafre pyramid. They were so shiny that they could be seen hundreds of kilometers away.

The base of the Pyramid, resting on a granite surface with a deviation from the horizontal of no more than two cm, is an almost perfect square (maximum deviation 3 minutes 33 seconds) with sides of about 230 meters (northern 230.1, western and eastern 230.2, southern 230.3). And the whole structure, which today consists of 203 rows of masonry, was erected without cranes, wheels and powerful stone-cutting tools. Why did the ancient architects achieve such high accuracy, if this accuracy could not even be seen with the naked eye?

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. However, the Khafre pyramid visually seems to be higher than the Cheops pyramid - the effect is achieved due to the fact that its base is at a higher level. 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. The three pyramids are part of the complex, which also consists of a sphinx, several temples, small pyramids, tombs of priests and officials.

In their book Guardians of Creation, Bauval and Hancock emphasize that they believe the creators of the Giza pyramid complex and the famous Sphinx intended to build some kind of chronological "beacons" that would encourage many future generations to search for the true meaning of their project. Selecting the position of monuments using the "language of the stars" should be understandable to any culture familiar with astronomy. The Giza Pyramid Complex probably contains rooms containing the most important messages of the ancient architects, facing the future. Boval and Hancock are convinced that humanity is on the threshold of the Great Discoveries in the pyramids.

Evgeny Menshov expresses another opinion in his article. Claiming that the Pyramids remind us of the planets of the solar system and the catastrophe that occurred on September 22, 10532 BC.
Where are the Great Messages kept?
Everyone has heard about the treasures of the pyramids and their robbers. The way to the Great Pyramid of Cheops, in 820, was found by the Arab Ale Manune. (Caliph Al-Maamoun) He began to dismantle in the center of the Northern Wall, where, according to legend, there was an entrance.

To do this, he poured vinegar on the stones, warmed them with fires, and then used battering rams. Hearing the sound of stones rolling off to the left of their tunnel, the treasure hunters dug to the source of the sound, which led them to a passage leading down (at an angle of 26.30). At the lower end of the sloping passage was what came to be called the bottomless pit (P), or a large underground chamber located at 180m. below the top of the pyramid. The falling stones that the Arabs heard rolled into it. If not for this accident, the entrance would never have been found.

The stone plug placed at the entrance to the ascending tunnel is made of rare red granite, identical to the granite of Mount Horeb, where, according to legend, Moses received the 10 commandments. To circumvent it, the Arabs carved the softer limestone around it.

Oddly enough, but the descending corridor was well known in antiquity. The Greco-Roman geographer Strabo left a clear description of the large underground chamber (P) into which this corridor enters (180 meters below the top of the pyramid). In this chamber, underground inscriptions were found - autographs from the time of the Roman occupation, indicating regular visits in those years. However, thanks to the secret door leading to the shaft (W) in the descending tunnel, this passage was forgotten.

Another surprising fact is that the ventilation ducts in the main chambers maintain a constant temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit. For some reason, the builders left intact the last 13 cm of the block at the entrance to the two ventilation shafts in the queen's chamber (Q) and only in 1872, Wayneman Dixon, by analogy with the king's chamber, discovered them by tapping and made his way to a canal high 20 and a width of 23 cm, going 2 meters into the wall, and then, at an angle further.

A television probe found some foreign bodies in one of the large voids. The resolution of the TV camera was not enough to identify these "bodies". Director of the Department of Antiquities of Egypt, Ahmed Qadri, commented: "There is something else in the Pyramid that we don't know about yet. This part of the structure has never been penetrated before. There is some construction there!"

In 1954, archaeologists discovered two immured niches at the foot of the Pyramid. When one of them was opened, the pit smelled of the aroma of cedar planks. There lay disassembled the original Pharaoh's boat, 43.6 meters long! It took 16 years to extract and dock hundreds of perfectly preserved fragments of the boat. Now the boat stands in its original form in a glass pavilion next to the Pyramid (Solar-Barke (Solar Boat) Museum).

A narrow hole was drilled in the second niche and a light guide connected to a television camera was inserted into it. This work, with all precautions, began in October 1987. When the television camera was turned on, a clear silhouette appeared on the screen: a boat! The second boat was a huge structure of sagging boards fastened with copper staples. They are not in a hurry to extract it - it is too difficult to keep this amazing find in the air ...
Physical impact Pyramids
The French scientist Jacques Bergier, who studied the influence of various spatial forms on biological substances, built a cardboard model of the Pyramid and placed bull's blood there. After some time, it was divided into two substances - light and dark. Other scientists have made sure that perishable products are stored for a long time in the Pyramid model. A pendulum suspended above the top of the model swings to the side or rotates slowly around the top. Plants are behaving strangely. First they gravitate towards the east, then describe a semicircle, moving from south to west. The Czech inventor Karel Drbal adapted a similar model for self-sharpening razor blades in 1959, and received a patent for this unusual invention. According to Drbal, he shaved with the same blade, placing it in a model overnight, more than two thousand times! It is believed that the pyramidal shape focuses cosmic energy...
pyramid lens
American engineer Raymond D. Manners, in an article published in the magazine "Fate" for November 1996, reports that in its original form the Pyramid was distinguished by two features: sparkling surfaces and ... concave in the middle part of the face!

The ancient builders covered the Pyramid with a layer of polished limestone 2.5 meters thick! There were 144,000 20-ton cladding stones. They were so brilliant that they could be seen hundreds of kilometers away. Morning and noon sunlight, reflected by this vast mirror surface, was visible from the moon.

Surprisingly, the cladding stones were butted at 0.5mm spacing and have perfect right angles with straight line deviations within 0.25mm. Modern technology does not allow to place such blocks with greater accuracy. It is even more surprising that this gap was intended for glue to seal and hold the stones together. The white cement that held the cladding stones together and made them waterproof is still intact and stronger than the blocks to which it was set.

As for the concavity of the edges, by the way, completely invisible from the ground and, according to some opinions, reflecting the radius of the Earth, the French scientists who accompanied Napoleon's army in the Egyptian campaign were the first to suspect it. Later, in the 1880s, this fact was confirmed by the famous explorer of the Great Pyramid, Flinders Petrie. Then they forgot about it for a hundred years. And only in our days, aerial photography by an officer of the British army P. Groves showed with certainty that the concavity of the faces, however, quite insignificant - only one meter, really takes place ...

It is interesting to note that later pyramids were built with completely flat sides! Apparently, the main builder of the Great Pyramid hid from his followers the meaning and purpose of the concavities. According to Raymond Manners, the peculiar concave "mirrors" on the edges with total area about 15 hectares served to focus the sun's rays on the day of the summer solstice. On this day, when the Sun was only 6.5 degrees from the zenith, a fantastic action took place: thanks to the polished edges, the Great Pyramid sparkled like a diamond! At the focus of the concave "mirrors" the temperature rose to a thousand degrees! The assembled crowds of people began to hear crackling coming from these points, gradually increasing to a thunderous deafening sound!

Amidst the blazing light and roar from the central whirlwind above the top of the Pyramid, waves of hot air shot upwards. An illusion of a fiery column rising from the Pyramid was created. It was truly the road along which God Ra himself descended to people!
Sphinx
The riddle of the Sphinx haunts people no less than the pyramids. When I read that the Sphinx had been completely covered over several times, it seemed surprising to me. However, a trip to Cairo dispelled all doubts. The Sphinx stands in a pit (the origin of which I cannot judge) at the foot of a hill with pyramids, and if you fill it up, only part of the head will be visible. True, it should be borne in mind that the Giza plateau is a rocky wasteland, and not a desert with sand dunes, as many might have thought. (the most complete association will be given to you by a stone lime quarry or a large construction site) so, in my opinion, it will take more than one decade, if not centuries, to bring it in. But let's get back to the object itself

Recently, Japanese scientists (S. Yoshimura) using echo sounders have shown that the processed stone of the sculpture of the Sphinx is MUCH OLDER than the blocks of the pyramids. I will emphasize the ANCIENT MATERIAL OF SCULPTURE. Another fact: hydrological studies revealed traces of erosion from a powerful flow of water at the base of the pedestal of the statue (including ON THE TREATED SURFACE). British geophysicists estimate the age of erosion at 10-12 millennia (!). The foregoing confirms the hypothesis, which is very popular today: the Gizov complex was built TWICE ..

In view of the foregoing, the sequence of events can be represented as follows. About 12.5 thousand years ago, unknown architects erected a complex of pyramids, coding in its plan the connection of three planets of the solar system, and in the orientation of the lion statue - the date. when it took place. A little later, water gushed out from somewhere with monstrous force. Her stream destroyed the pyramids, but the Sphinx. hollowed out of a monolithic rock and, possibly, covered with sand, survived. After 8000 years, during the reign of the pharaohs of the fourth dynasty, the rest of the buildings were restored. It is possible, however, that the Sphinx also underwent restoration: we assume that initially it depicted simply a lion, and a human head - specifically, the head of Pharaoh Khafre (opposite the Pyramid of which it stands) - was attached to it under Pharaoh Khafre.

French archaeologists have noticed: the dating of the Egyptian flood coincides with the date of the death of the legendary Atlantis according to Plato.

Tokyo scientists also gave a second sensation: electronic equipment showed a narrow tunnel under the left paw of a stone statue leading towards the Khafre pyramid. It starts at a depth of two meters and goes down obliquely. It turned out to be impossible to trace it further, but Professor Yoshimura promised to create a new device, specifically for the study of this underground passage.
P.S. Measures of Ancient Egypt
Having delved into the history of the emergence of units of measurement and standards, it is easy to find out that the Egyptians had three units of length: the cubit (466 mm), equal to seven palms (66.5 mm), which, in turn, was equal to four fingers (16.6 mm ). Long distances were measured in tens and hundreds of cubits or palms. It is easy to see that the side of the base of the pyramid of Cheops is exactly 500 cubits.

It is tempting, of course, to see a certain "astral" meaning in the height of the pyramid of Cheops. But isn't it easier to assume that the pyramids were built exactly the way the customer required? Pharaoh or, say, a council of priests. He will order: “a hundred cubits in height” - and they will build it. And how could the pharaoh order? Most likely, he set the height in round numbers - of course, in Egyptian measures ... To verify the above assumption, let's measure the pyramids not in meters, but in cubits (lx) and palms (ld). And what happens? Of the three pyramids of Giza, the smallest, Mykerin, has a height of one thousand ld (66 m). The Pyramid of Snefru has 200 lux. Finally, at the pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) - 300 lux 100 ld (146.6 m): the son outdid his father by almost one and a half times. Other measurements of the Cheops pyramid are also curious: the side of the base is 500 lux (233 m), the apothem of the side face is 400 lux (187 m), the length of the main gallery is 100 lux (46.2 m), the upper passage is 500 ld (33 m), etc. d. Famous Pyramids are equal to the stars
The question "how old are the Egyptian pyramids?" seems to have been resolved long ago: about 4500 years. However, the method of solving this issue, based on the analysis of ancient records, is not very accurate. As a result, estimates of the age of the pyramids can be overestimated or underestimated by about 100 years. From one point of view, compared to their age, this is not much; from another point of view, man is an imperfect being and always strives for the ideal. So Egyptologists eventually could not stand the uncertainty and began to develop methods for more accurate dating. One of them, developed by the British Egyptologist Kate Spence from Cambridge, is based on astronomy.

The fact is that many mysteries and questions are associated with the Egyptian pyramids. One of them is this: how did the ancient Egyptians manage to align their creations so precisely? After all, two of the four sides of each pyramid are directed quite accurately from north to south! Keith Spence believes that the stars helped the ancient builders in this. More precisely, two stars: Mizar and Kokhab, in the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Due to the displacement of the Earth's own axis in space (with a period of 26,000 years), these two stars in different centuries point to different parts of the world. By calculating when they pointed to the north, one can very accurately determine the time of the construction of the pyramids.

Moreover, with the help of the “two stars” theory, those errors in the alignment of the pyramids that the Egyptians nevertheless made are perfectly explained (in fact, Spence developed her own theory to explain these errors). After all, the pyramids were not built at the same time, the stars managed to shift a little during this time, and the direction “to the north” also shifted somewhat. Today's "northern" star - the Polaris - in those years did not point to the north at all and could not serve as a guide for the Egyptians.

Using her method, Kate Spence calculated the construction time of the Great Pyramid of Giza (one of the Seven Wonders of the World). She believes that this happened in 2478 BC, plus or minus five years. Thus, according to the "astronomical" theory, the Great Pyramid is 4478 years old - 75 years more than previously thought.

It is not known whether the ancient architects really determined the direction to the north by two stars, but there is no argument against the fact that they could do this. All we know for sure is that the pyramids aligned to the north because the Egyptians believed that a dead pharaoh became a star in the northern sky. Therefore, it is quite logical to assume that when building pyramids for the dead pharaohs, they looked towards their new home.

Spence's method is also important for two more reasons. Firstly, it does not contradict the prevailing ideas about the age of the pyramids: 75 years is quite within the dating error according to written sources. Secondly, it serves as an additional argument against the view that the pyramids and the Sphinx were built several thousand years earlier than previously believed. Having obtained such well-converging results using two different methods, it can be firmly believed that the pyramids were built in the middle of the third millennium BC.
How the pyramids were built
The Italian Egyptologist Osvaldo Falestiedi proposed a clue to the way the Egyptian pyramids were built. Falestiedi's hypothesis is based on the testimony of Herodotus, who mentioned in the 5th century BC about "wooden machines for building the tombs of the Egyptian rulers." The remains of one of these machines, according to Falestiedi, were found in the 19th century during excavations of the temple of Queen Hatsepshut. An enthusiastic Italian managed to restore an ancient device, and it worked!

The machine designed by Falestiedi resembles a cradle. A stone block tied with ropes is placed inside the wooden frame, which swings with the help of special wedges. With the help of such rocking, the inventor is convinced, the ancient Egyptians raised multi-ton stones. Falestiedi's discovery was tested by Japanese and American engineers and archaeologists. And: independent expertise; confirmed the correctness of the Italian. Now Falestiedi, together with engineers from the Turin Polytechnic Institute, is going to create a working model of a device that can lift stones weighing up to forty tons.

edited news olqa.weles - 9-02-2012, 12:06

The great seven wonders of the world - the hanging gardens of Babylon, the lighthouse of Alexandria, the statue of Zeus, the colossus of Rhodes, etc. Everyone knows about them. But only one "miracle" of these seven has survived to this day. It's mysterious Egyptian pyramids which are over 4500 years old.

Location and structural features of the Egyptian pyramids:

The pyramids stand on the territory of the ancient cemetery in Giza, which is on the opposite bank from the (modern capital).

Scientists note that during the existence of the Ancient Egyptian kingdom, more than 80 pyramids were built, but only a small part has come down to us. There are three surviving pyramids - these are the pyramids of Cheops, Khafre and Mykerin (they also have Egyptian names - Khufu, Khafre and Menkaur). Only the first of this list formally belongs to the legendary seven. However, they are all mysterious and majestic.

The appearance of these structures is impressive. They stand out clearly against the blue sky and dark yellow sand. You notice them even from afar, before you approach them. Anyone giant pyramids cause sacred awe. They seem to be something cosmic, it is hard to believe that a person had anything to do with their construction.

The main pyramid is the Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu). Each side of the base has a length of 233 m. The height of the pyramid is 147 m. The area of ​​the pyramid is more than 50 thousand square meters. Its internal premises occupy a very small volume - no more than 4% of the total area.

Until the middle of the 19th century, the Cheops pyramid was considered the largest structure on our planet. According to Napoleon, stone blocks from the three pyramids of Giza would be enough to surround the entire wall with a height of three meters and a thickness of 30 centimeters.

All sides are almost symmetrical - such accuracy is surprising. The pyramid consists of 2,500,000 huge blocks, each of which weighs at least two tons, the heaviest block weighs 15 tons. The architect of this pyramid is also known - the Egyptian Hemuin.

Many misunderstandings arise from the layout of the inner corridors and the so-called "main royal chamber" with an empty sarcophagus of the Cheops pyramid. As you know, a narrow passage leads outward from this room at an angle - a ventilation duct, and above the chamber there are several empty unloading rooms built in order to reduce the huge stone mass. One of the mysteries, for example, is the location of the main room - it is not located along the central axis, as in all tombs, but is tilted to the side.

Pyramid of Khafre(Khephren) is almost as good as the pyramid of Cheops. It is slightly smaller - 215 m long and 143 wide, but due to the fact that it is located on steeper slopes, it seems larger. Khafre is buried in it - this is the son of Cheops.

Not far from this pyramid is the legendary Great Sphinx, which is also part of the burial complex. The size of the figure is rather big: its height is 20, and its length is 57 meters. The figure carved from a single rock depicts a lying lion with a human head.

Pyramid of Khufuso has come down to our times in good condition compared to other pyramids: it is the only one that has retained lime lining on its top.

Pyramid of Menkaure(Mycerina) is the smallest of the legendary pyramids. It is almost 10 times smaller than the pyramid of Cheops. Its height is only 66.4 meters. The pyramid was intended for the grandson of Cheops.

History of the Egyptian pyramids:

The time of the construction of the Egyptian pyramids dates back to the beginning of the Old Kingdom, which is approximately 2800 - 2250 BC. e.

Almost 5 thousand years ago (28th century BC), the founder of the III dynasty, Pharaoh Djoser, having barely ascended the throne, ordered the construction of his tomb to begin. The construction was entrusted to the architect Imhoten. The innovation that the architect applied in the construction of the tomb for Djoser was that he erected it in the form of six benches placed on top of each other. And each subsequent was less than the previous one. Imhoten created the first step pyramid. Its height was 60 m, length - 120 m, width - 109 m. Unlike the previous tombs, the pyramid of Djoser was built not from wood and brick, but from large limestone blocks. This pyramid is considered the progenitor of the great Pyramids.

The first of the great pyramids is the Pyramid of Cheops. It is absolutely impossible to imagine that it was built, according to the manuscripts that have come down to us, in just 20 years. Even today, with all modern technology, it is difficult to build such a huge structure, not to mention the fact that the pyramid was erected 4,500 years ago, when no mechanisms were even suspected. Sometimes the opinion is expressed that the pyramids could not be built by the people living in bronze age, and that… aliens took part in the creation of these colossal structures. But, according to the official scientific version, the construction of the pyramid is the work of ordinary people. The main builders were almost 100,000 slaves.

Millions of blocks were literally gouged out of the rocks using primitive red copper drills that dulled very quickly from such hard work. Fitting wooden boards under the future stove, they were constantly poured with water. The tree swelled and tore off the stone from the rock. Then the resulting block was carefully polished, giving it the required shape. One has only to marvel at the impeccable result, because, in fact, the work was carried out with completely primitive tools. Without any measuring instruments, as a result, they received a block that was ideal in its proportions and shape. In the vicinity of Aswan, even now there are ruins of ancient quarries, on the territory of which many ready-made blocks were found. As it turned out, this is a marriage that was not used when laying the pyramids.

The processed blocks were transported on boats to the other side of the Nile. Then they were taken along a specially laid road, the construction of which took 10 years and which, according to Herodotus, is only slightly simpler than the construction of the pyramids. The pyramid was erected on a bedrock limestone massif cleared of sand and gravel. Workers dragged them into place using ramps, pulleys and levers, and then pushed them together without any mortar. The stones of the pyramid are so tightly “fitted” that even a knife blade cannot be inserted between them. To raise the blocks, the Egyptians built a sloping mound of brick and stone with an elevation angle of about 15. When the main structure was completed, it resembled a series of steps. As the pyramid was built, the mound was lengthened. Perhaps they also used wooden sleds, on which blocks were dragged up by hundreds of slaves. In some places, traces of these wagons were found.

When the construction was basically completed, the sloping embankment was leveled, and the surface of the pyramid was covered with facing blocks.

Construction ended in 2580 BC. e. Initially, the height of the pyramid was 150 meters, but over time, due to destruction and advancing sands, it has become smaller - by 10 meters today.

There is no doubt that this pyramid was built as a tomb for the pharaoh Cheops. IN ancient egypt it was customary to build structures for burial long before the death of the one to whom it was intended. The Egyptians believed in an afterlife and carefully prepared for it. They believed that in the event of a person's death, his body should be preserved so that the spirit could continue to live after death. They extracted internal organs, filled the body with salts and wrapped it in linen sheets. So the body turned into a mummy. Together with the pharaohs, they buried jewels that, according to the ancients, could be useful to him in another world. In addition, along with the ruler, a large number of servants were often buried, who would serve the owner even after death. The pyramids served the pharaohs, according to their religious beliefs, as a ladder by which souls ascended to heaven.

After the construction of the pyramid of Cheops, the cocking of the pyramid of Khafre began. Enormous money was invested in these constructions. The third pyramid was supposed to be no less majestic in design. But Menkaure could not afford the construction great pyramid. The country was devastated by the construction of the pyramids of Khufu and Khafre. Hunger has begun. The population, exhausted by overwork, grumbled. But, despite its smaller size, the pyramid of Menkaur still looks unusually beautiful.

Secrets of the Egyptian pyramids:

There are absolutely fantastic assumptions about the pyramids. For example, that these are not tombs at all, but something like observatories. Astronomer Richard Proctor claims that the descending corridor could be used to observe the movement of some stars, and the Grand Gallery, open at the top, was used to map the sky. But still, the official version is that the pyramids were built primarily as tombs.

Since the pharaohs were buried along with various valuables, there is no doubt that jewelry can be found in them. The search for treasures in the tomb of Cheops does not stop today. There is still a lot of unknown. That is why the ancient pyramids are a favorite place for treasure seekers. For a long time, the plundering of the pyramids was considered the main problem. It seems that this problem existed even in the Old Kingdom, so the tombs were designed according to the principle of labyrinths, with secret rooms and doors, baits and traps.

By official version, first entered the pyramid in 820 AD: Arab caliph Abdullah Al Manum decided to find the treasures of Khufu. Immediately treasure seekers were faced with the fact that it was completely impossible to find the entrance to the tomb. After a long search, we decided to dig under the pyramid. They soon found themselves in a passage that led down. These digs continued for several months. People were simply in despair - as soon as they entered a corridor, it immediately ended in a blank wall.

The first room they were able to find was what is now known as " royal room". From it they were able to find a way out into the space at the junction of two corridors and come to the "large gallery", which, in turn, led to the "king's room" - about 11 meters long and 5 wide. Only an empty sarcophagus without a lid was found here. There was nothing else in the room.

Several years of work yielded nothing - no treasure was found. It is most likely that the tomb was plundered long before the arrival of Abdullah Al Manum, but the workers said that this was simply impossible, since all the slabs inside the pyramid were intact, and it was impossible to pass through them. True, in 1638, John Greves discovered a narrow passage in the Grand Gallery, which was littered with debris. It is possible that through this move all the treasures were taken out. But many scientists doubt this, since the passage is very small and a thin person can hardly fit into it.

What happened to Khufu's mummy and his treasure2 No one knows. Diverse investigations have not found any other rooms or passages. However, many people still believe that the main rooms and the treasures hidden there have not yet been found.

The most famous pyramids are located in Cairo (there are also in Saqqara, Dakhur, Medum), they are considered the only surviving of the seven ancient wonders of the world. Here was the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis, and the powerful kings of Egypt - the pharaohs built huge pyramids, which for two millennia were the tallest buildings in the world. Egyptian civilization did not know iron, from the engines there was only the draft power of people and animals. The biggest mystery of civilization was how people in ancient times were able to build huge structures from blocks weighing several tons. These buildings are not just big - they are precisely oriented to the sides of the world, passages with traps for robbers and large cameras are laid inside. They were probably filled with treasures in antiquity, but were robbed in ancient times. How these giants robbed is also a mystery, since the protection of these tombs was very good.

Story

Egyptian pyramids - Interesting Facts about the history of construction. More than a hundred pyramids have survived in Egypt. They are of different varieties - stepped, as well as stepped, converted to be even, with a broken surface (the angle of inclination changed during the construction process). Archaeologists almost every year find new pyramids - both small, covered with sand, and unfinished, or in general, which have been preserved at the level of the foundation.

The oldest pyramid belonged to Pharaoh Djoser and was built around 2650 BC. Before Djoser, mastabas were built - rectangles on one floor. Djoser began to build on floor after floor, and the result was a pyramid. It was the first monumental building in Egypt made of stone - before that it was built mainly from mud bricks. Brick, even unfired, was preserved under open sky well, since in this country it almost never rains, especially in areas remote from the Mediterranean Sea.

Pharaoh Sneferu built a step pyramid in Medum, its feature is that it was stepped, but the Egyptian king ordered the walls to be made smooth, filling the steps with masonry. After some time, the stones that filled the steps fell, and in our time this structure again has a stepped appearance. After Sneferu, the construction of step pyramids ceased; they were with smooth walls and cladding made of slabs.

IN medieval Europe the pyramids were considered the barns of Joseph, who ordered grain from the harvest years to be stored in them in order to provide seven hungry years, which the pharaoh dreamed of in the form of thin cattle. The Europeans did not know that the internal space of the structures is about 1 percent hollow, and it would be impossible to store anything in large quantities here.

In Dahshur there is a “pink” pyramid of Pharaoh Snefru (the walls turn pink in the rays of the Sun), its faces to half the height are at one angle, and then the angle of the walls decreases, therefore the pyramid is called a “broken line”. This could be done for two reasons: either they wanted to complete the tomb faster, or the load on the foundation became too large and they wanted to reduce it by changing the angle of the walls. Also in Dahshur there is a pyramid of Amenemhat I built of mud brick, it is called "dark", apparently because of the color, which contrasted with the light limestone and sandstone of other pyramids.

The pyramids were surrounded by temples, as well as smaller pyramids that belonged to the relatives of the pharaoh. Near the pyramid of Khafre in Giza is a statue of a sphinx - a lion with a human head. Its length is 72 meters, height is 20 meters, which is almost equal to the height of a nine-story building.

Construction

Interesting facts - Egyptian pyramids and features of their construction. Supporters of various conspiracy theories and too thoughtfully impressionable people have versions that the pyramids have a connection with alien civilizations, since it is as if people could not build such pyramids with ancient technologies. large structures. But everything is very simple - the pyramids are just the tombs of the rulers. And they were made so big for a number of reasons:

• built not by slaves, but by free citizens, thus solving the problem of employment of the Egyptian male population during the period when the Nile flooded, and people could not engage in agriculture;
• the problem of the stability of society was solved, because working people did not have the opportunity to organize riots;
• social function - on the pyramids they gave plenty of water and beer, thus the poor could feed themselves and their families;
• investments - a rich state did not have the opportunity to invest in something important, except for grandiose buildings;
• prestige - masters neighboring states they couldn’t build anything like that, they thought carefully before attacking a powerful state that could build real mountains, and even completely lined with polished slabs (now part of the lining has been preserved only at the top of Khafre’s pyramid);
• the preservation of the body of the pharaoh and the treasures that were laid near him is already a function of the Egyptian pagan religion, but it is not so important, because the pharaohs were buried in deep mountain mines, without making grandiose buildings.

It is not known exactly how the pyramids were built. The main difficulties were associated with the lifting of stone blocks on great height. There are two versions - either they made a large sloping road, which was extended and raised as the tomb grew, or the road was made along the perimeter in the form of a spiral, completely filling the pyramid with earth, and clearing it after construction was completed. The first version is more convincing, since archaeologists have found the remains of the beginning of the platform of one large sloping road away from the pyramid. Scenes of the construction itself are depicted on the corridors leading to the burial chamber. A village was found in which the builders lived, archaeologists discovered a bakery and a brewery in it.

Peculiarities

Interesting facts about the pyramids - features. All pyramids in the past looked different than they do today. They were lined with smooth limestone slabs that shone in the sun. At the top was a granite pyramidon, which in ancient times may have been gilded. The appearance of the tombs was changed by the locals, who stretched the lining of even slabs onto the building material, and stone blocks are also stretched. Several pyramidons have been found and are now on display in the Cairo Museum.

The blocks of the pyramids are very precisely fitted to each other, even after an incident of four thousand years you cannot insert even the tip of a knife between them.

Buildings are strictly oriented to the cardinal points. A flat foundation was made under the pyramid. The sides of the pyramid differ in length by only a few centimeters. All this speaks of the development of science and construction technology in ancient Egypt.

The pyramid of Cheops has a height of 146 meters, the weight of 2.3 million stone blocks is more than 6 million tons.

There were Nubian kingdoms on the territory of Sudan. Local kings, in imitation of the pharaohs, built pyramids for themselves, and eight centuries after the last pyramidal tomb built in Egypt. They are distinguished by a large slope of the faces, a lower height (up to 30 meters), and a visible entrance to the tomb, over which there was a pagan temple. In the 19th century, the Italian explorer Fellini blew up the tops of 40 pyramids to find treasure. He managed to find only one cache of gold, he brought the items to Europe, and they did not want to buy from him, considering them fake.

In the distant hot sands of Egypt created man-made miracle light, exciting the minds of researchers of different times. How many theories and hypotheses about their construction and purpose have already been expressed! The mysteries and mysteries of the Egyptian pyramids disturb not only scientists, but also ordinary people. How were such gigantic structures erected in antiquity? Involuntarily you begin to think about the intervention of extraterrestrial civilizations.

Who built the Egyptian pyramids

The Soviet occultist H. P. Blavatsky believes that the pyramids were built not 2500 BC, but 75 years earlier. And they were supposed to store the gene pool of humanity - the Atlanteans, who erected the pyramids.

Nostradamus also expressed his opinion that the people of Atlantis built the pyramids, but they did not mechanical influences on blocks, but mentally acted on gravity.

Thanks to scientific research, we know about the voids under the pyramids, as well as under the Sphinx. Scientists launched a robot into the mines of the lower tier, but it did not go far - every now and then it ran into limestone doors.

Giant structures are literally riddled with mines, channels and voids along their entire length! And it has already been scientifically proven that all mines and canals were laid according to maps of the starry sky. A vertical channel runs along the axial line - supposedly for communication with the ancestors or the Universal mind.

There is also a large number of premises that have nothing to do with the rite of burial. During the excavations, lanterns of weak light were found - they were used in painting and arranging inside the pyramids.

The mysteries of the Egyptian pyramids are directly connected with Imhotep. His activities left an imprint on the entire history of Egypt - from 2630 BC. e. It is he who is the high priest and chief adviser to the pharaoh. It was he who created the project of the first pyramid of stone blocks. He was considered the god of medicine, architecture and philosophy.

Who actually built them? This question worries every person who is at least somewhat interested in the secrets of the Egyptian pyramids. Slave labor, primitive tools and less than 40 years of construction for each - and such a result ?! After all, they did not even have modern technology ...

And pyramids were built from stones mined in the Aswan quarries, which are located in the Macedonian mountains - tens of kilometers from Giza. The Egyptians indicated that they transported the stones along the Nile in boats, and then rolled them to the construction site. But the boats are light - they would easily sink from the weight of at least one such block. And even if the stones would roll, there would be a road and pieces breaking off from the blocks.

Date palms with very soft wood would not hold a single block, and there were not enough palms themselves to support such a large-scale construction.

The weight of the pyramid is 6500 billion tons. The construction took 2,300,000 stone blocks. Not only did the blocks have to be mined and delivered to the appointed place, they had to be dragged to a great height. According to scientists, it turned out that 20,000 workers, placing 10 monoliths each, would have spent 664 years to complete the construction of a giant structure. But it’s not realistic for a pharaoh to live a good six hundred years!

The frescoes of Khufu's pyramid depict figures very similar to airplanes, helicopters, ships and submarines. But how could the Egyptians know about such technologies? How was it possible to carve images so similar to modern technology? Here it remains only to shrug. So far, we don't know the answer.