Topics
Dedication
There is a distinct fine line separating the
outer limits of the Nile Delta and the eastern desert plateaus of Egypt,
Africa.
On this line,
east of Cairo on the delta side, was the small village named Nazlet; now
consumed by the ever-expanding metropolis of El Giza (Giza). It was at this
location, on the plateau side of the dividing line, where the ancient Egyptians
from the fourth dynasty, elected to construct the greatest accumulation of hand
hewn stone to form the Giza pyramids.
Since antiquity,
the Giza pyramids have drawn learned scholars to this geographical setting, yet
these structures have defied relinquishing their secrets. The pyramid’s mystique continues to entice
the rich, poor, famous, and non-famous. We visit, we wonder, we are amazed, but
we continue to fail in understanding the reasoning behind their design.
Pythagoras,
Herodotus, Plato, Archimedes - from Greek historical times, Greaves, Davison,
Bonaparte, Howard-Vyse, Taylor, Herschel and Smyth - from the renaissance
period. They visited, bringing their tools of science…they left, taking their
tools of science. Then, upon the land, came a visitor with a vision.
The most famous
surveyor/archeologist/Egyptologist ever to challenge this site was Sir William
Matthew Flinders Petrie (1852-1942). Determined to solve the riddles, he
prepared to “dig in” and commit a life-long quest to determine if these
structures were no more than haphazardly placed monuments, or the workings of a
masterful ancient civilization who excelled in precise measure. Similar to the
dividing line at Giza, it was mandatory for him to separate archeology from
Egyptology, and create a new foundation in the science of pyramid studies.
Had Sir Petrie lived in today’s modern and
technical environment, he would have discovered the reason for the Giza pyramid
designs. His measures were and remain the foundation for any and all
calculations involved with these structures. This presentation will not differ,
and the following papers are dedicated to this fine gentleman of past.
Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie’s
intricate and precise measures are the base for all calculations, and without
them…we would remain in the dark for many more years to follow.