The Great Pyramid Shafts
This
is one more theory involving the mysterious shafts hidden within the Great
Pyramid at Giza, Egypt…but with an extraordinary “point” of view.
Contents:
Theories of old:
Since
their first discovery, the shafts have challenged the best of ancient
historians. The puzzling features of these miniature tunnels (less than 12
inches square) have provoked many to theorize or create stories of fantasy. The
debates are ongoing and will continue until a logical explanation can be
presented without further challenge.
Many Egyptologists
remain convinced that the ancients believed the shafts allowed the passing of
the king’s soul back and forth from the “inner sanctuary” of the pyramid
chambers to the outer world. However, evidence indicates that a king was never
entombed within any known chamber in the Great Pyramid.
Some theorists
believe the shafts point to distant stars, but they cannot agree to which stars
the shafts point toward. Meanwhile, others are determined to reject all
theories and state that the only function of the shafts was to provide air
ventilation for the workers as the pyramid was being completed. This is
actually the most basic theory of all and the most simple to disprove.
The ends of the
shafts inside the two chambers were sealed from the very beginning. Their
discovery was made by accident following a comment asking how one could breathe
in such a small chamber without a constant supply of fresh air. The search
began…the vents were finally discovered by tapping on the chamber walls in
search for “hollow” spots, then chiseling into the stone. For the first time
since antiquity, fresh air rushed into the chamber and throughout the
connecting passage.
Since the stones
forming the chamber walls had to be broken to find the shaft apertures then
they could not have served as air-ducts during construction…one down!
The first
appearance of these shafts indicate they being perfectly straight from start to
finish, unfortunately there are several twists from east to west that the
shafts take on their upward direction toward the outer surface. It is
impossible to see through the shafts from one end to the other (Ill. 1A).
Illustration 1A. The four shafts inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, two shafts in each of the King and Queen’s Chambers.
This being common
knowledge to all serious researchers, then the concept of the shafts pointing
toward certain stars can be classified as no more than a whimsical story at
best. Adding further, it is impossible for us to determine with certainty what
star the designer(s) were viewing. There are four shafts and they all point in
various directions…two down!
A new and inspiring
concept has also been introduced…the belief that the king’s soul was allowed to
pass through the stone wall into the shaft. This “story” was only introduced to
“masquerade” the age-old theory of king’s being buried within the pyramids.
Since it is now
realized that a king was never entombed within either chamber, a new proposal
was adopted.
The king visited
his “spiritual” place of internment before his final days on Earth. During this
visit, the high priests performed a “mock” funerary service including
initiation rituals as the king lay within the sarcophagus. It was now
unnecessary for the king to be interned within the chamber after the pyramid
was completed. The body could be concealed anywhere within the structure to
avoid vandalism or theft…a clever maneuver by the author of this concept, but
the points earned for the theory is zero!
Why were the
ancients determined to build a monument of such magnitude if they never
intended to bury a king or queen within the hidden chambers?
Why would they
build two passages and the Grand Gallery that served no function before or
after the death of the king?
Why did the
builders continue constructing the lower chamber shafts while construction
progressed to a point of almost completion for the upper chamber?
Why were the two
shafts leading from the Queen’s Chamber sealed before reaching the outside of
the structure?
Why were two shafts
required for each chamber?
Why did they build
two chambers with two sets of shafts, with a single sarcophagus placed in the
upper chamber only?
Why do the shafts
point toward north and south, not east and west…representing the beginning and
end of life, or the traveling by day or night?
Why are there
intentional bends in the shafts as they progress toward the outer surface?
The time has come
for us to look at the structure through different eyes (Ill. 1B).
Illustration 1B. The four shafts are
extended to the location where one shaft from each chamber meet forming two
“pointers”.
From the above
illustration, we witness the four shafts forming two distinct “pointers” both
comprised of a shaft from each chamber. It is imperative that we fully
understand the following:
Observing the left
upper shaft from the King’s Chamber, in its downward direction, it
intersects with the right shaft of the lower chamber (Queen’s Chamber). The
next important feature to the shaft’s construction is the point where the upper
shafts protrude through the outer casing of the pyramid, they are both found on
the 102nd course level of the structure! These are the first
indications of the designer’s intentional choice of angles. They must have
previously calculated the exact angle required for both upper shafts to
protrude through the pyramid sides at the same level. They set their true angle
and direction then covered the shaft openings with the first several layer of
stones forming the King’s Chamber walls.